Secrets
by WillowEchoRiver
Summary: A strange girl arrives in Camelot and asks to see Gaius, and everyone's long kept secrets begin to unfold. Rated K. Merlin/Original Character, some Gwen/Arthur.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. I wish I did, but I don't.**

**Author's Note: So, please be gentle! This is my first ever Merlin fan fiction, so it's not very good yet, I apologize and I hope you like it! Also, if you don't like original characters in fan fictions, you may not like this one so much. **

**Chapter One, Verona**

Merlin carefully studied the pictures Gaius had given him of the herbs he would need. For the life of him, he couldn't tell the difference between two of the more obscure ones...The problem was, one of them was deadly poisonous, and he was instructed to avoid that, while the very similar one was an important factor in many remedies. Honestly, he would never be able to figure out how Gaius did this.

He was sure he remembered some enchantment to reveal poison, even in plants, but he couldn't remember it now. He made a few attempts but gave up when he killed all of the surrounding plants on accident. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen, and moved to a different patch of plants.

"I don't know why I have to work for Arthur and Gaius! It's just too much!" Merlin mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The voice came out of nowhere and it made him jump, he spun around to see a young woman looking at him curiously. He was immediately nervous, afraid she'd seen him trying to enchant the plants.

"Uh. yeah?" Merlin answered nervously, trying not to look to guilty, which in fact made him look more guilty.

"My name is Verona, I'm not from Camelot... But I'm looking for someone...I was hoping you might be able to help me? I could help you in return?" She offered, sitting down in the grass beside him and pointing at the two plants he'd just been inspecting, "Unless you were wanting poison in your salad, pick these." Verona said, pulling them from the dirt and putting them in the basket Gaius had given to Merlin, "You can tell which ones are poisoned because they have these white spots, see?" The girl sounded a little nervous and she spoke rather quickly as she showed him which herbs were correct.

"Thanks! That helps a lot!" Merlin said, in relief that he wouldn't have to come back to Gaius empty handed. "Sure, I can try to help you, who were you looking for?"

The young woman had bright blue eyes and long red hair that was pulled back in a braid, she wore a simple brown dress that had dirt lining the bottom of it, as if she'd been traveling. But she had no horse.

"I"m looking for a man called Gaius? I'm told he is the court physician."

Merlin tried to mask his surprise a little bit, "Yeah, I know Gaius...Are you sick?"

"No," Verona gave a small smile, as they walked along, "Forgive me for asking...But how well do you know Gaius?"

"Very well, he's my guardian, of sorts...Why do you ask?" Merlin was rather confused by the girl's question.

The girl frowned, but did not say why.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, more because he was confused then actually concerned, since the girl was a stranger.

"It's just...He's never mentioned anyone called Verona?"

"Well...I'm...Extremely forgetful." Merlin said quickly, trying to make her feel better, "And as much as Gaius knows about me, I really have to pry to get anything personal out of him."

"Does he know that you have magic?" The girl asked, with a little bit of a smile on her face.

"What? I- I don't know what you mean?"

"I saw you try to enchant those plants, it's alright, I won't tell anyone." She assured him, he didn't feel much comforted, though. "If Gaius took you in, then you must be the good sort of sorcerer, and not the bad sort." She smiled at him, "You haven't told me your name, still."

"Oh, I'm Merlin. Sorry."

"It's nice to meet you Merlin," She said with a smile.

As odd as the girl seemed. he had to admit that she had a very pretty smile.

"So how do you know Gaius?" Merlin asked her, his curiosity written all over his face.

Verona gave him a mischievous smile, "If he hasn't mentioned me, I better let him explain. Is this it?"

They'd stopped in front of the door to Gaius and Merlin's quarters, "Yeah, this is it." He said, leading the way inside. "Gaius?"

Gaius was working with his back toward them when they entered, and he spoke over his shoulder, "Did you manage to find those herbs, Merlin?"

"I had help from someone who wants to see you." Merlin replied and Gaius turned around to look at them.

When Gaius saw the girl, he almost dropped all of his work, but instead he shoved it onto the table and stared at the girl, "Verona?"

Her smile grew wide, "Hello."

Gaius extended his arms for a hug and the girl flew into them, hugging Gaius as if she'd known him forever.

"Can someone, uh, explain to me what's going on?" Merlin asked in confusion, as he stood watching them.

"Merlin," Gaius said, with a bigger smile then Merlin had seen on his face for a long time, "I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Verona."

**Author's Note: Before you like...Kill me...I wanted to say, I know it's kind of choppy but I really wanted to post it today. I know it's not a good start but I have lots of plans for it! :) So there was Chapter One...And I hope you like it! Please review if you liked it! It makes me write faster! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Wouldn't that be cool though? I mean, being able to walk around to people and say, "Guess what I own! Only the coolest show ever!" But alas, I do not own Merlin.**

Author's Note: I'm sorry that I didn't update in forever. But here's the new chapter!

Chapter Two, Horse Theft

Gaius had wanted some time to talk to his daughter alone, and Merlin couldn't exactly blame him, though he didn't much like getting kicked out for hours at a time.

He tried not to, but he could help but feel a little bit offended that Gaius had never told him about his daughter, and now they apparently had to have a long discussion without him around. He couldn't help but feel just a little bit abandoned.

But it didn't last too long, not much more then an hour later Verona approached Merlin and said with a smile, "He'd like to speak to you now...Don't worry, I'm being banished too. You're not alone."

"What? I didn't feel bad...That would be silly...Of course you two wanted to talk!" He lied, with as big of a smile as he could manage.

She gazed at him for a moment as if she was trying to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth, finally she said, "I'm glad, that makes me feel less guilty. He's waiting on you."

"Right," Merlin said, hurrying to go talk to Gaius. He felt he deserved a very long explanation to all of this and he was eager to get it.

When he entered the room Gaius was waiting for him, and he sat down next to him. "So...You have a daughter..." He said awkwardly, as much as he wanted to hear the good explanation for having no idea all this time that Gaius had a daughter, he preferred it if he didn't have to directly tell Gaius how annoyed he was he had never been told about this.

Gaius nodded, "Yes, she was working in a bakery with a nice family who lived in the country side far away. It was safer there."

"Why wasn't it safe for her here?" Merlin couldn't help but ask, curiously.

"If she feels like explaining that, she can, but it's not my story to tell." Gaius told him, which annoyed Merlin greatly.

"Alright..." He said, though he was frustrated that he couldn't just get a good answer for once,

"I can tell you are angry with me, Merlin. You are very transparent." Gaius said with a sigh.

Merlin just shrugged, he didn't really feel like getting into this conversation. Gaius might have wanted to know what was wrong, but Merlin didn't necessarily want to tell him.

"Merlin?" Gaius asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know, Gaius! I'm just a little bit annoyed that you know everything there is to know about me, and you don't tell me something as big as this! You always pull this, 'You're the son I never had' thing, and yet you never think to mention that you have a daughter?"

"I know it's a very big shock, and I understand why you wish I had told you." Gaius said, keeping his voice calm, "But there were very good reasons for keeping quiet about Verona."

"Whatever the reasons, I could have kept your secret. You don't trust me, do you?" Merlin asked him, frowning.

"It had nothing to do with trust.-"

"Merlin!" The conversation was interrupted by Arthur entering the room and sounding annoyed, as usual.

Merlin tried not to sound _too_ disrespectful as he said, "Yes, _sire?_"

Arthur seemed to catch the sarcasm, but he ignored it. "My armor needs cleaning,"

Merlin just shrugged and got to his feet, leaving the room without having to be told twice. He didn't really want to continue his conversation with Gaius just then, anyway.

-

Merlin and Verona sat eating the dinner that Gaius had left for them that evening. Someone had been ill in a nearby home and he had gone to try to help them.

"Is my father the only person in Camelot who knows about your magic? Other then me, I mean?" Verona asked, cheerily.

Instinctively, Merlin glanced around over his shoulder, even though he knew there was no one else around. "Yeah, and I'd rather like it to stay that way." He said, with a small smile.

"Right, sorry." She said smiling. "I probably shouldn't shout it and announce it to the world, then, should I?"

"Best you didn't." Merlin laughed, though he didn't really like that someone he had just met knew about his magic, even if she was Gaius' daughter.

"And you're the prince's servant, aren't you?" She asked him, light-heartedly.

"Yeah." Merlin spoke through a mouthful of food.

"And do you like it?"

Merlin shrugged, "He's a royal pain, but it's not all that bad."

Verona laughed, "Of course."

There was a short silence, before Merlin asked, "So, why don't you live in Camelot?"

The girl's expression darkened considerably, she hesitated and then said in a low voice, "It wasn't safe for me here."

Merlin found that this rather caught his attention, "Why not?" He asked, too curious to know that she probably didn't want to talk about it.

She shrugged, "Long story." Was all she said, and Merlin took the hint.

She pushed her chair back, got to her feet and cleaned up her dirty dishes."I'm going on a walk, want to come?" She offered, cheerfully as if a moment ago she had not been upset at all.

"Sure." Merlin said, after a moment. He had nothing better to do.

-

Outside, the evening air was cool and stars were beginning to appear in the sky. The sun that had just set left gold lining the horizon. They'd only been outside for a couple minutes when Verona spotted the king's stables.

"What's that?" She said, pointing towards them.

Merlin informed her that it was the stables, and she grinned and went inside. "Verona! I don't think you should-" But she'd already entered. He sighed and followed her inside.

By the time Merlin got inside, Verona was already seated on one of the horses. "Let's go for a ride, shall we?" She suggested, with a mischievous smile.

"You can't ride that horse." Merlin said, shaking his head quickly, "That's Prince Arthur's horse!"

"Ohhh, I'm riding a _royal_ horse?" She asked, excitedly. "Even more fun! Come on, Merlin, take a horse."

"You can't ride Arthur's horse, Verona." Merlin said, he was rather amused, but he didn't want to encourage her.

"Why? He's not going to go for a ride in the middle of the night, he won't even miss her." She said, patting the horse's neck cheerfully. "Come on, Merlin, pick a horse."

"No." Merlin said, firmly. Getting less amused by the second.

"You're no fun," She pouted, though she seemed to be trying hard not to laugh, "I won't get off his _'Royal Highness'_ ' horse until you pick a horse and we go riding, Merlin."

Merlin didn't like the disrespectful tone she used when she said 'royal highness'. Sure, Arthur drove him crazy a lot of the time, but Verona seemed to be almost bitter towards the prince. It made him nervous.

He sighed and climbed on the back of the horse he usually rode when he had to go places with Arthur. "A very, _very_ short ride!" He knew it was the only way to get her off of Arthur's horse, and he didn't want either of them to get in trouble for horse theft.

Verona smiled a triumphant grin, and kicked the horse slightly, and they dashed out of the stables.

Merlin sighed and rushed after her, he didn't like the idea of her going off by herself.

He caught up with her as she rode through a wooded area enthusiastically. She was laughing, and as annoyed as he was, her laugh was contagious.

When he started laughing, she smiled at him, "You aren't so bad, Merlin."

"Gee, thanks?" He said, but he was smiling.

"Come on, let's get back." She said, with a grin.

"Really? Already? Great." He sighed in relief, as he hurried his horse back towards the stables.

Her horse kept pace with his, "Yeah, already. I just wanted to see if you would come. Besides, I don't want to get caught with the prince's horse." She grinned and her horse trotted ahead of his before he could comment.

"What?" He asked, trying to sound annoyed, though he couldn't help but laughing.

They returned the horses to the stables without getting into trouble, and as they were walking back inside, Merlin said, "You're going to be quite the troublemaker, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, Merlin, glad you're figuring that out now." She grinned.

He laughed.

Verona was a trouble-maker, Merlin thought, and she seemed rather rebellious. But she was lighthearted and adventurous and she made Merlin laugh, even when it annoyed him.

She confused him, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Merlin wasn't sure yet what he thought about her exactly, all he knew was that he was glad she had arrived.

**Author's Note: So, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I hope that you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I came up with the idea for this fanfiction before season three ended (SPOILER ALERT) therefore, when I did, no one knew about Morgana yet, so we're going to just pretend that is still the case. Deal? Deal. Though, technically, that has absolutely nothing to do with this chapter.**

**And thanks especially to Ruby890 for reviewing!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Chapter Three, Taken by Surprise

Verona had been in Camelot for two weeks, and Merlin still wasn't sure that he had figured her out entirely. Every time he thought he knew what she would do next, she totally surprised him. The thing was, if she was just always going around stealing horses, like she had on the evening of her arrival, that would be one thing. But one minute she was ready to go on some adventure, and the next Merlin could hardly get her to go outdoors.

And Merlin couldn't exactly ask Gaius about the girl. The thing was, that if he asked Gaius why she was constantly acting like an entirely different person, Gaius would want to know why Merlin wanted to know. And Merlin didn't want Gaius to know why Merlin wanted to know. Because the reason that Merlin wanted to know was because he thought Verona was very pretty and wanted to know more about her. And he wasn't sure Gaius would like that Merlin thought his daughter was very pretty.

Gaius surprised Merlin however, by bringing up the topic with him one day when he had sent Verona off to fetch some herbs.

"Merlin?" Gaius said calmly as Merlin sat eating some lunch.

"Wes, Waiwus?" Merlin said through a mouthful of food. He meant 'Yes, Gaius?' but it hadn't quite come out as that.

"I approve, if you like my daughter, you know." Gaius said, with a slight smile.

Merlin almost choked on his food. "Wh-What?" He swallowed.

"If you like Verona, I would approve of you."

"Gee, uh, thanks, Gaius? But I really don't think..."

"Oh, Merlin, I'm old but I'm not blind!" Gaius shook his head.

Merlin scratched the back of his head, feeling more than just a little uncomfortable. But he smiled, "Thanks, Gaius."

"I have only one warning." Gaius said, his voice becoming serious, and Merlin froze.

Of course, this was going to be the 'I think you're great, Merlin, but if you hurt her I'll kill you!' speech, Merlin was sure of it.

But that was not what Gaius said.

"Don't let her pull you into her games, Merlin. Don't let her get you into trouble. She needs someone who will be strong and tell her no sometimes."

Surprised, Merlin just stared at Gaius, unsure what to say.

"I don't think you have to worry Gaius..." He said, after a moment, however, "I'm fairly certain she's not interested in me at all."

At this, Gaius laughed. Like, really heartily laughed. Merlin hadn't seen Gaius like that for a long time, and while it was nice, he couldn't help but be a little annoyed the man who was like a father to him was _laughing_ at something he'd said.

"Oh Merlin," Gaius said, after a long time, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "She's very interested. She wouldn't try to pull you into her little games if she wasn't interested. I must admit though, she's grown up. I much prefer you to the last man she choose..." Gaius broke off, shaking his head.

"Hey, wait a minute, what last guy?" Merlin asked, suddenly curious.

"Forget I said anything, Merlin." Gaius just shook his head, and smiled.

00000000

Merlin was on his hands and knees scrubbing Arthur's bedroom floor. He had gone out hunting the day before and had tracked an unbelievable amount of mud back into his room, and now Merlin was responsible for cleaning it up. He'd already been scrubbing away at the floor for nearly an hour, and though he was nearly done, he was rather sore from leaning over to clean it.

The door to Arthur's room flew open, but it wasn't Arthur who entered, it was Verona. "Merlin!" She said, in an exasperated voice. "I'm bored, and I want to go on a walk. When are you going to be done with that?" She sighed an exaggerated sigh.

"I don't know. Soon?" He said, shaking his head. "You could always help." He said, with a grin.

"Oh please, Merlin, do I look like a servant to you?" She asked, with a grin. She stood tall and tried to act all prim and proper, "I'm the court physician's daughter! I cannot lower myself to such levels!" She joked.

"To be honest, I wasn't aware that was such a position of honor." He said, his smile widening.

"Oh, it most certainly is! I'm best friends with the prince, didn't you know?" She said, returning his smile.

"Have you ever even spoken to Arthur?" He laughed.

"You've missed a spot." She commented, pointing to the area just in front of him.

"I haven't gotten there yet, and I thought you _wanted_ me to finish?" He asked, rolling his eyes, but smiling.

"No. I decided I'd much rather watch you suffer." She grinned.

"Would you? Then this might take me a long time. I don't think we'll get to go on that walk for a very long while." He said, threateningly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Go right ahead, work quickly! Go!"

"That's what I thought." He laughed, as he began scrubbing the floor once more.

"Are you two done flirting, because I'd actually like to have my room cleaned sometime, you know, like today." A voice came from the doorway, where Arthur stood with his arms folded, but an amused look in his eyes.

Verona tried to hide a smile, and she curtsied, "Sorry, your Highness. I'll just wait out side." She left the room.

Merlin dropped the wash rag in the bucket of soapy water, and then got to his feet, "We weren't flirting...It was just..."

"Flirting."

"Witty Banter!"

"Sure, Merlin, if that makes you feel better." Arthur just shook his head and left the room.

Merlin left the room as well, and while Arthur was already halfway down the hall, Verona was waiting for him just outside the door.

"_Now,_" She said, in a triumphant voice, "I have spoken to the prince! We'll be great friends in no time." She joked.

Merlin just nudged her playfully in the arm and then said cheerfully, "Come on, let's go."

00000

They did not make it very far in their walk however.

They were only out in the courtyard, when Merlin realized that something was wrong. He couldn't place right away what it was, but something caused a deep dread to settle in his stomach.

It felt like time was slowing down.

Gwen was walking through the courtyard, humming cheerfully to herself, when Arthur stopped to speak with her, which was not unusual.

Then Merlin noticed a dark hooded figure facing towards the two of them across the courtyard. Merlin didn't know what about the man that caught his attention, maybe it was just the creepy hooded cloak, but he couldn't help but feel that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

And then an arrow was flying across the courtyard, right towards where Arthur was standing with Gwen.

Merlin didn't have time to stop it. Merlin didn't even have time to even shout.

But Gwen had just spotted the flying arrow and she, seemingly without a second though, stepped right in front of the prince. Acting as a personal shield.

A gasp escaped from Verona who was standing next to Merlin with her hands over her mouth.

Screams came from some nearby villagers.

The arrow made impact, and Guinevere crumpled to the ground.

**Author's Note: So... Please don't hate me for that ending... On the bright side, I've gotten back into this, so I'll probably, hopefully, maybe update soon? The problem is that I have a bunch of other projects that need my attention as well. Please Review! It inspires me to update more quickly! Thanks for your support!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Merlin still does not belong to me.**

Author's Note: Brownie points for anyone who can spot the not-so-subtle Harry Potter reference in this chapter. :)

Chapter Four, Magic Is Might

Gwen lay on a bed unconscious as Gaius worked quickly to try to heal the damage the arrow had done to her. Arthur paced back in forth in the room and Merlin sat with his hands covering his face. Verona worked to try to help her father, but her face was pale and she was quieter than any of them had heard her before.

The guards had captured the man who had made an attempt at Arthur's life and he had been thrown in the dungeons.

"Will she be alright?" Arthur asked Gaius from across the room as he continued to pace.

"I am doing my best, sire, my hopes are high." Gaius said calmly.

Merlin's foot tapped nervously against the floor, and the noise resounded in the room.

The door flew open and Morgana entered, "Arthur, your father would like to see you." She said, absently, before rushing to Gwen's side. "Will she be alright?"

"I am doing my best." Gaius repeated what he had just told Arthur, this time to Morgana.

"Does he need me now?" Arthur demanded, stopping his pacing for a moment.

"He seemed quite urgent in his wish to see you." Morgana replied, nodding her head.

Arthur sighed and left the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

"I need more herbs for a certain remedy, Verona, here go find me these, please." He said, writing down a small list of names and handing it to his daughter, who nodded silently and turned to go.

Merlin continued to tap his foot against the floor nervously, and Gaius called out to his daughter, "Verona, take Merlin with you, would you?" He shook his head. "How am I supposed to work with that noise?"

"Sorry Gaius, just nervous." He said, getting to his feet to follow Verona.

"It's alright, Merlin, we're going to do our best to help her, alright?"

"Right, thanks." Merlin followed Verona out the door, both of them were silent for some time.

Verona's face was still pale and her eyes downcast as they hurriedly went out into the woods to search for the right herbs that Gaius would need. Though Merlin had a feeling he didn't really need them, so much as he wanted to get them out of the room. They were probably making him nervous, simply by their own fear.

"Do you have feelings for Guinevere?" Verona's voice broke through the silence.

"What? No. Of course not. She's like my sister." Merlin said, shaking his head. He'd never really thought of Gwen as anything more than a sister, and as she was his good friend, he was really worried for her. But he didn't have feelings for her.

"But the prince does, doesn't he?" Verona asked, as if she was trying to make conversation. Her face was still pale.

"Yeah...Yeah he does, but don't tell him I told you, alright?" Merlin said, with just a ghost of a smile, and then he was frowning again.

"She seems like a good girl. But dad will do his best to help her, I'm sure he will."

"I know he will." Merlin said, nodding.

When they arrived in the area where the herbs Gaius had needed were found, Verona handed Merlin the basket and then got down on her hands and knees and picked the proper plants from the ground. She was trembling.

"Hey, it's okay, Verona." He said, seeing how upset the girl was. He had never seen Verona upset about anything before, and her behavior surprised him, but then again, she always surprised him.

"It's just... Seeing someone nearly killed... It's frightening. I haven't been exposed to that sort of thing, Merlin, I live with a family of bakers!" Verona answered weakly. What she said surprised Merlin, here was the adventurous Verona, and she was completely shaken up by seeing an arrow strike down a complete stranger. Merlin had thought her brave before, but this was not the way someone brave acted.

"And I don't want to see you lose a friend." She looked up at him, and Merlin could see the honesty in her eyes.

That's when he realized her concern was for him. While she was scared for Gwen, she barely knew her. Her true fear was that Merlin would have someone close to him killed. Merlin felt touched. But it was strange, he'd never seen Verona show any real sorrow, she was always laughter and cheer and adventure. Merlin got the feeling that there was a lot that Verona kept hidden from him, and he wanted to understand why. He wanted to understand this girl who seemed to be constantly changing. She just didn't make sense.

Verona finished collecting the herbs and got to her feet, she set them in the basket and then took it from Merlin. "Let's go. My father is going to need these."

"Verona, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded but didn't say anything.

"Why were you living far away?"

She didn't answer him. Her eyes narrowed and she looked down at the ground, avoiding his gaze.

"You have magic, don't you? That's why you weren't safe in Camelot." Merlin guessed, he had suspected it for a while, but had been too scared to bring it up.

Verona was quiet for a long time, and Merlin was afraid she was angry at him, and she was _not_ someone he wanted as an enemy. But after a moment, she said very quietly, "Yeah."

"This is great!" Merlin said triumphantly, excitement in his voice. "If we work together, I'm sure we can help Gwen! You're Gaius' daughter! You're probably great with healing enchantments, right?-"

"Merlin.-"

"If we work together we could-"

"Merlin!" She shouted.

He went quiet, "What?" He asked, looking surprised,

"I'm not like you! I don't have control over it, it just happens! I'm no good at healing magic, and every time I get out of control something horrible happens! That's why I couldn't stay in Camelot. I had too many close calls, too many times where I did magic in front of too many people, and just barely escaped being caught! I've only just got it under control enough so that it doesn't happen out of nowhere! But if I try to heal Guinevere, it could all come undone-" Her voice was slightly panicked, and it was starting to worry Merlin, so he interrupted her.

"Verona! Verona, it's okay!" He said quickly, putting an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "You don't have to try to heal Gwen, I'm sure Gaius will figure something out. Besides, I could always try to teach you how to control your magic...If you want?" He offered, gently.

She smiled at him, and it seemed only a little forced, "Th-that'd be nice. Sometime."

He grinned, "I'm glad you told me, I like knowing that we have this in common. I like feeling like there's someone who understands, you know?"

"Yeah, me too. Hey, Merlin?" She asked, quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you please not mention to my dad that I told you? He's really touchy on the subject." Verona asked, looking up at him with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure, I guess so." He said, filled with confusion. Why would Gaius dislike the subject of his daughter's magic?

00000

"Yes, father?" Arthur asked, looking at the king and trying to hide his annoyance at being taken from Guinevere's side.

"I wanted to inform you that security has been increased greatly, and the area is being searched for possible accomplices. We will not allow you to be so close to death again." His father told him, shaking his head. "I'm just relieved he didn't hit _you."_

"Father, he hit Morgana's maid! That's hardly an improvement, she's just-" He didn't want to betray his feelings for Guinevere, but he couldn't help but feel a little outraged at the idea that it was somehow _better_ that she had been hit instead of him, "She's just an innocent girl!"

"Yes, and _you_ are the crown prince of Camelot! It is a miracle that you were not harmed!"

"You're saying it is a good thing that Guinevere is near dead because she was protecting me?" His voice was raised in anger.

"I am simply saying I am glad that my son is not dead. Not that I am glad the girl was harmed. She will be rewarded, if Gaius can heal her." Uther sighed, motioning to a bag of gold nearby.

"Guinevere won't want gold." Arthur muttered, trying to calm himself down. His father hadn't meant any harm by the comments, but Arthur hated that Guinevere had endangered herself to save him.

"Then, when she is well, we will find out what she _does_ want and make sure she receives it." Uther answered calmly.

000000

Uther was walking towards Gaius' quarters where he was currently helping the serving girl who had saved Arthur. He wished to make sure the girl would be alright. She had saved his son's life and he simply wanted to make sure she would be rewarded for that, rather than punished.

He stopped just outside the door, however, when he heard his son's voice. He looked through the door that was cracked open ever-so-slightly and he saw Arthur holding the girl's hand, and he could hear him saying softly, "Get well soon, my love. Please. You can't die because of me, Guinevere. You can't die because of me."

Uther froze, horrified. His son had feelings for the girl?

**Author's Note: I hope you liked that chapter! I wanted to clarify something, Verona's freaked out attitude about Guinevere wasn't supposed to be like "Oh, look at me! Sensitive Verona!" It was supposed to show a weaker side to her, not a gentler side. So I hope that didn't make her too Mary-Sue, because that is definitely NOT my goal, and you will see soon that she is far-from-perfect. So please bear with me. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Merlin does not belong to me. I wish it did :) And trust me, I would tell you!**

**Author's Note: I have never written anything quite as Gwen/Arthur as this chapter, but I had so much fun that I'm starting to wonder why.**

Chapter Five, Sickness and Health

Arthur stared across the table at his father. Morgana had been asked to take her dinner in her chambers so that the king and his son could have a moment alone, and Arthur was sure that would not be a good thing.

Arthur could feel the anger burning in his father's silence, as Uther glared at him from across the table. The expression on the king's face was odd. He seemed to be constantly changing from angry to thoughtful to confused to angry again. All Arthur knew was that whatever was wrong, it was best to let the king make it to the subject on his own, rather than asking what the problem was.

It was a very rare occasion that Uther Pendragon was angry enough to remain silent.

After a painfully long and suspenseful silence, his father laid down his fork and said slowly, "I have decided upon the serving girl's reward for saving you." His voice was cool and quiet and strange, and Arthur wasn't sure what Guinevere could have to do with his father's anger.

"Oh, really?" He tried to sound casual. "What is that?"

"She'll be given a nice home in one of those outlying villages and enough gold to last her a lifetime. She should live a very comfortable life." Uther said firmly, picking up his fork again and rather stabbing his food with it.

"What? That will hardly do!" Arthur said, fighting to keep his voice calm, "Her whole life is here, why make her leave Camelot?"

"She would be very happy in one of the outlying villages-"

"And how do you know that she would?" Arthur demanded, his anger defeating his calm. "You cannot force her to leave her home!"

"I am the king. I will do as I wish." Uther said firmly, anger in his eyes.

"What has Guinevere done to deserve to be banished from Camelot! That is unjust and unfair!"

"She is not being _banished_ she is being _moved._ And I cannot have my son, the prince, thinking that he is in love with a serving girl!" Uther's voice was determined and he pounded the table once with his fist as he spoke.

Arthur paled, but he did not try to lie to his father, however he knew, there was no going back now. He took a few deep breaths and tried to reply rationally. "It is not Guinevere's fault that I have...fallen for her. She's a charming girl. That is hardly cause for...for banishment!" There was so much more to Guinevere then that she was charming. Arthur would die for her. He loved her. But he could not speak these feelings to his father, it would only make things much, much worse.

"She is not being treated with cruelty, Arthur. I think I am being quite reasonable, considering the circumstances!"

"Reasonable? Forcing someone to leave their home is not _reasonable_ no matter how much _gold_ you give them!" Arthur got to his feet in his anger, "This isn't fair to anyone!"

"You sound like a child, Arthur!"

"Father, you can't do this!"

"I can do what I would like!" His father responded, anger filling his voice.

Arthur sighed and collapsed back into his seat, burying his face in his hands. "Please don't do this," He pleaded, his head still in his hands.

He heard his father push his chair back and walk towards him, then he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, "I know you are upset now, Arthur, but there will be other women, and you will thank be for this later."

Arthur looked up at his father, and fighting to keep his voice calm, he said, "I understand that Camelot's wellbeing is your concern, as it should be. But your son needs your concern on this matter as well. Guinevere is the kindest, gentlest, and most loyal woman I have ever met, or will I ever meet. She would make a far better queen someday than any noblewoman could! Besides, she is the only woman I could ever even consider loving. Now if my happiness matters to you at all, please, let me marry her."

Uther's eyes widened in surprise at his son's request. He had been convinced that his son's feelings for the girl were mere infatuation, nothing serious. Hardly love!

"Arthur, you do not _owe_ her a marriage because of her sacrifice for you!" Uther told his son, shaking his head and sighing.

"I know that! Despite what you may think father, I am _not_ foolish!"

"No, you are not, you are in love, which is just as bad!"

"Father! Please..."

"What do you suggest, Arthur, I cannot present a serving girl to Camelot as their future queen!"

"Then grant her a title, as her reward, grant Guinevere a title!"

"What?" Uther asked, staring at him in surprise.

"You can make her a Lady of Camelot, present her to the people as the hero of their prince, which is exactly what she is! Grant her title as Lady Guinevere, and some time from now when I'm a little older and you are convinced that I'm not a _fool_-"

"And what if when you are older you decide you did not love her after all, Arthur?" The king demanded of his son.

"Then fine, it will be fine! She will still have received her due reward."

"It seems a rather large reward for-"

"For risking her life for my own? I do not think a single thing on this earth should be withheld from her for that." Arthur said earnestly.

Uther sighed and was silent for a long time. "The maid will be granted a title. This is her reward, but it is not permission for you to _marry_ the girl."

"And you won't make her leave Camelot?"

"She will not have to leave Camelot."

Arthur sighed in relief and then a grin spread across his face. "Thank you, sire, you are a kind father and an excellent king."

00000

There was an urgent knock at Merlin's door, and he flung it open to see a smiling Verona outside of it.

"What is it?" He asked, confused.

"Your friend, Guinevere, she's awake!"

"Gwen's awake?" He asked, eagerly. "Has someone been sent to tell Arthur?"

Verona nodded, smiling, took Merlin by the hand and lead him out to where Gwen lay. He glanced down at their joined hands in surprise for a moment, but was distracted when he saw Gwen's open eyes.

"You're awake!" He said happily, eager to know that his friend would be alright.

"Hi, Merlin..." She said weakly, "Is Arthur…?"

"He's fine, he's on his way now!" He said, grinning down at her.

She smiled softly, and then the door flew open and Arthur entered, "Guinevere!" He said eagerly, before giving Merlin a pointed look.

"Oh, you want us to leave? She's our friend too-" He began, but with one look from Arthur he glanced at Verona, "Want to, er, go on a walk?" He offered.

She laughed, "Sure, come on."

Together they hurried out of the room, and began laughing happily.

Merlin glanced down at their intertwined hands once more, a little awkwardly this time.

Verona noticed, and dropped his hand, her laughter faded and she stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Sorry." She mumbled quietly.

"No need." He grinned, "You helped Gaius with Gwen, yeah?" He asked her.

She shrugged, "Only a little, my father did all the hard work."

"But she is going to be alright, now?" He asked, hopefully.

She smiled and nodded, "Almost certainly."

Merlin stood there smiling for a moment, because everything seemed like it was going right. He had felt so horrible before that Gwen had nearly died saving Arthur, when keeping Arthur safe was supposed to be his job. But it seemed just fine now that he knew Gwen was going to be okay.

Perhaps he was too caught up in the joy of the moment, but in the blind happiness of it all, Merlin didn't think twice before quickly leaning down to kiss Verona.

**Author's Note: So, I hope you liked that chapter! I'm not so sure if Uther would actually have done what I wrote here, but I decided to go with it anyway. The guy can be merciful sometimes, right? Hope you don't hate me for that Merlin and Verona bit at the end, but I DID warn in the description that Merlin would fall for an OC. Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

**Chapter Six, Magic and The Lady**

-**Two Weeks Later-**

"Daddy, Merlin and I were going to go on a walk. Do you need anything from the market?" Verona asked cheerfully, as Merlin held on gently to her hand.

"No, thank you for asking." Gaius said, looking amused as he noticed their intertwined hands, though he was rather used to it by now.

"But it's alright if we go out for a bit?" Merlin asked him, just to be sure. Watching as Gaius sorted through some of his old books.

"Of course, just be back in time for Gwen's ceremony today." Gaius reminded them.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world!" Merlin replied lightly.

"Alright, off with you two then," Gaius said, with laughter in his eyes.

Gwen had recovered wonderfully from her injury over the past two weeks, and while she was still rather weak, she could now walk around quite a lot. They were all extremely relieved, and happy for her that she was going to be named Lady Guinevere that day, though Gwen herself was incredibly nervous about the whole thing.

In the hallway, Merlin and Verona were stopped by Arthur, "Where are you off to?"

Merlin hesitated, "We were hoping to go on a walk." He explained, frowning at the prince.

"I'm tired of you wandering off before your work is done Merlin!"

"Hey! I got my work done!" He argued, indignantly.

"Has my armor been shined?" Arthur asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well...No...Not exactly." Merlin mumbled, trying to think of a very good excuse for not shining Arthur's armor. He was sure there was a good excuse hidden away somewhere in his mind, but apparently it was buried too deep to find it anywhere.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Don't be late for Guinevere's ceremony!" Arthur warned him.

"We won't! Thanks!" Merlin sighed in relief that he was being let off just this once. Arthur really must have been in a good mood.

Merlin gently began to pull Verona down the hallway, so that, hopefully, they could get away before Arthur had a chance to change his mind, but suddenly he called out, "Wait a minute!"

The stopped, sighed, and turned around to look at him.

"Yes?" Merlin asked, his voice both frustrated and nervous.

"You're name is Verona, yes?" Arthur asked her, sounding like he was thinking something through.

Merlin instinctively took a protective step towards Verona, he would not let Arthur pick on her.

"Yes?" She asked the prince, not seeming near as worried as Merlin. But he did _not_ want to have to go polish Arthur's armor before they could go on their walk. That could take hours, and then it would be time for Gwen's ceremony.

"Now that Guinevere will be a Lady, Morgana will need a new maid. If you would be interested in the position, let me know, and I will recommend you for a servant." Arthur told her.

She did a small curtsy, smiling, "I would be honored, sire, thank you."

Arthur nodded, "Hopefully you'll be a less idiotic servant then the one I've got," He motioned towards Merlin, "But if you are his new girlfriend, I can't be sure." There was a look of amusement in Arthur's eyes as he spoke.

Verona laughed, "I can assure you, my lord...My, er, relationship with Merlin has not negatively effected my mental well-being...At least not yet."

"Hey!" Merlin's voice was full of indignation, "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

Arthur's smile became wider, and with an amused glint in his eyes, he said, "I rather like this one, Merlin. Now off with you two lovebirds already." He rolled his eyes and stalking off down the hallway.

"Well that's exciting!" Verona said cheerfully, looking at Merlin with wide, bright eyes.

"I don't know, Verona, sure you can handle it?" Merlin asked, with a very big grin.

She frowned and furrowed her brow, "Handle what? Being a servant? Why wouldn't I be able to handle it?"

"Just seems a little...boring for you." He said, trying to hide his smile, but failing.

She nudged him in the side and laughed, "Of course not, there's nothing more interesting! I'm sure she has all _sorts_ of interesting stories about you that I haven't heard."

He just laughed, "I doubt it."

00000

Merlin and Verona had arrived at a small stream in the middle of the woods. The place was off the beaten path, and chosen specifically for the occasion, because Merlin had promised Verona that he would try to help teach her how to control her magic, so they had had to find someplace where no one would accidentally find them practicing sorcery.

"Hmm, look at this. This is funny." Verona said, as she reached into the water flowing around her ankles and pulled out a small rock.

"What? I don't get it." Merlin asked her in confusion, as he took the small pebble from her and examined it.

She just smiled and shrugged, "I don't know, just thought it was a funny shape."

Merlin smiled slightly, "Has anyone ever told you that you are just a little bit odd?"

"Occasionally." She said lightly, shrugging as she continued to wade through the stream.

"Come on, Verona! Lets work on this whole magic thing. We don't have very long before we have to get back for Gwen's ceremony." He suggested, lowering his voice even though he didn't think anyone would be near enough to hear. It never hurt to be cautious.

"I don't know about this Merlin..." Verona said, shaking her head. "I think I changed my mind. What if it just causes me to lose control of my powers all over again?" Her eyes clouded with doubt and Merlin took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you." He said, looking her in the eyes. "Do you trust me?"

She broke eye contact with him, pulled her hand away, and stepped a few feet away, pretending to examine some small rocks again, "Of course I trust you, Merlin." She said, somehow managing to keep her voice light. But Merlin wasn't fooled.

He frowned, "No, you don't." He realized, trying to keep the hurt from his voice.

She sighed and looked him in the eyes once more, though she maintained her distance from him. "It's not that I don't trust _you_, Merlin." She said, her voice calm but she had a look of uncertainty in her eyes that Merlin had come to recognize in the past couple of weeks. "It's that I don't trust _myself._ If I try to use magic again...I could... I could do something awful! I could get you killed!"

"But I have faith in you, Verona! And if you don't practice...What happens if one day you are in trouble and don't have a way to defend yourself?"

She smiled at him, and this time he couldn't see anything fake in her smile, "You're so sweet Merlin. But every time I've been in trouble in the past, my instincts have kicked in to protect me. In fact, that's just about the only time I _can_ control my magic."

"Magic isn't something you have to be scared of... Look," Merlin said, mumbling some words under his breath and extending a hand towards the water.

A swan made out of flowing water appeared on the surface of the stream, and as Merlin directed it swam slowly over to where Verona stood ankle deep in the water.

She reached down and lightly touched it on the head, "It's beautiful, Merlin." She sighed, looking up at Merlin with eyes full of awe. But there was also a sadness written in them, and Merlin wished he could understand why.

"What's wrong?" He asked, frowning at her. He'd wanted to cheer her up, not make her more sad.

"Nothing, why would anything be wrong?" She asked lightly, blinking away the sadness from her eyes and grinning at him. She splashed him with the water playfully, and the swan evaporated.

"Can I please help you?" He pleaded with her, "I don't want you to be afraid of who you are, Verona!"

"Of course you can, Merlin," She said, smiling at him. "Just not right now! It's getting late, and we don't want to miss Guinevere's ceremony! Come on!" She took his hand and hurriedly began to lead him down the path.

He sighed, but decided it was better not to argue with her. But as they walked along, he couldn't help but ask, "Verona, is there a reason that you haven't told me for being afraid of your magic?" Merlin asked. He didn't like feeling like there was so much about her that he didn't know.

"No. I'm afraid of it because I'm in a kingdom where it's forbidden and I barely know how to control it! I think that is pretty reasonable, don't you?" She asked him, grinning as if it was all a big joke.

But this time, he didn't allow her to laugh the whole situation off. Because it was serious to him, and it brought back bad memories for him.

"There's something I should tell you," He said, after they had walked along silently for some time.

"What?" She asked, looking up at him. Surprised by the seriousness of his tone.

And then he told her about Freya. He explained how they met, and how she died, and everything in between. And after he had stopped explaining, there was small silence before Verona spoke.

"Merlin... I'm extremely sorry that that happened to you..." She said, as if she truly meant it. "But I'm not _cursed_, I'm just scared."

He nodded, "Yeah, okay." After a moment, though, he continued, "But if Gaius and I worked together, I'm sure we could find a way to help with your magic-"

"Merlin!" Verona froze, and her tone changed to one of panic, almost anger, "You promised you wouldn't say anything to my father about my magic!"

"I won't! I won't, Verona, its okay!" Merlin agreed, but he couldn't help but think that it was very strange. Why was Verona so afraid of Gaius knowing she had told him about her magic?

There was another long silence, before Verona broke it once more, "Did you love her? Freya, I mean."

Her question startled Merlin, and for a moment he didn't answer. He opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it, as if he was unsure how to respond. After a very long pause, he nodded and said, quietly, "Yeah, I think I did."

Verona nodded, but she wouldn't look at him and she was frowning.

"But that doesn't mean that I can never love anyone else." Merlin added, hurriedly.

The smile she gave him was small, but it was enough.

000000

The king stood out on a balcony overlooking the castle's courtyard, where a large crowd of townspeople stood below. Slightly behind him stood two people, Arthur and Guinevere.

Arthur stood tall and proud as usual, but with a sort of triumphant smile on his face, and Gwen stood a few feet from him, on Uther's other side. She wore an elegant full-length gown, nicer then anything she had owned before, and she looked beautiful. But she also looked extremely nervous and uncomfortable. Fidgeting with the sleeves of her gown and looking around like she felt herself out of place.

The prince leaned over and whispered, "Calm down, Guinevere, you are doing fine, and...You look quite beautiful."

The sincerity in Arthur's tone brought a very large smile to Gwen's face, and while it was a slightly embarrassed smile, it made up for all her nervousness, and she raised her head just a little bit higher.

"People of Camelot," Uther began, his voice loud and calling the attention of the townspeople below, who had been talking excitedly in hushed voices to one another. "As many of you know, two weeks ago an attempt was made on your own prince's life. A prince who has served you with loyalty and a love for the kingdom that I myself share. Arthur cares deeply for this kingdom, and his biggest concern has always been the welfare of Camelot."

Cheers broke out below, and Arthur gave a small nod of his head in acknowledgment, though he wished his father would hurry and begin complementing Guinevere instead.

"It is a wonder that someone would try to kill our prince, but there are many things in this world we do not understand." Uther stated, his voice calm and evenly toned as his words seemed to serve as a warning proclaiming, without actually saying so, 'You would be a fool to try to harm this man again,'.

"But Arthur's life was spared, by the bravery and loyalty of a young woman, who stands with us today. She endangered her own life to save our prince's." Uther motioned for Gwen to step forward, and she did so a little nervously, tripping slightly over her gown as she did so.

For a moment Arthur could see a flicker of doubt on his father's face, but then the look of confidence returned. Uther would not allow his people to see him doubting his own decision.

"Therefore, Guinevere, please kneel." Uther said firmly, and Gwen obeyed immediately, kneeling as gracefully as she could manage in her current state of agitation.

The king unsheathed his sword and lightly tapped it on both of Guinevere's shoulders, "By the power vested in me, Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot. I name thee, _Lady_ Guinevere. May you be forever rewarded for your loyalty to our kingdom."

Cheers broke out from below, and Arthur stepped forward and extended a hand to help the Lady Guinevere to her feet.

"Congratulations, My Lady," Arthur said, smiling at her and bowing ever-so-slightly.

She curtsied, "Thank you, sire." She said, referring her thanks to both the prince and his father.

They instructed her to turn and curtsy to the people below, and she did so with much more grace and confidence then she had previously shown, though she still held a slight look of uncertainty in her eyes.

Below, among the rest of the townspeople, stood Merlin, Gaius, and Verona, all cheering with more enthusiasm then anyone else in the crowd. Until quite suddenly, Verona collapsed without any warning at all.

Her face had paled white, and she was unconscious.

Gaius and Merlin fell to their knees beside her. Gaius looked horrified and shocked, but that didn't stop him from immediately checking her pulse and doing everything he could in the middle of the square to help her.

Merlin on the other hand, just stared, in complete horror until Gaius' shouts broke into his thoughts.

"Hurry! Merlin! Help me get her inside!"

**Author's Note: So? What do you think? I thoroughly enjoyed writing that chapter, so I hope you at least enjoyed reading it a little. Please review, it means a lot to me for those of you who do. :) Thanks so much for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

Author's Note: Yeah, I got excited enough about this to update twice in one day! Crazy! But, I'm just going to warn you, this is a _**very**_** angst-y chapter.**

Chapter Seven, The Truth

Merlin paced back and forth as Gaius worked to help his sick daughter. Verona hadn't yet woken, and she lay there with closed eyes and a sickly pale face.

"Is she alright? What's wrong with her?" Merlin asked, for just about the millionth time. Fear filled his voice and he looked at Gaius hoping to hear some good news.

"Merlin, I'll tell you when I know something." Gaius said firmly, "For now why don't you go sit outside?"

He nodded, mumbled a quiet 'alright' and hurried outside. He sat down on the floor just outside the room and waited. He knew Gaius was just as afraid as he was, or even more so, and it probably wasn't helping that he kept asking if she would be alright and pacing back in forth inside the room.

_I can't lose Verona too. _Merlin thought, feeling sick to his stomach. Was he doomed to be alone forever? Doomed to have everyone he loved die? No. She wouldn't die. He would make sure she wouldn't die. She was probably just dehydrated from being out in the sun all day or something of the sort. It was silly of him to think that she was dying.

He got to his feet and paced back and forth outside the door, unable to sit still.

Soon, however, Gaius came out of the room looking very grave. "Merlin," He said, motioning towards him, "Come here."

Merlin's heart was gripped with fear, and he got to his feet, following Gaius into the room.

"Will she be alright?"

Gaius sat down at the table, and signaled for Merlin to sit across from him, "That, I'm afraid, comes down to you, Merlin."

"Wh-what?" He asked him, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Her sickness can only be cured by magic... I wish she would have told me of it sooner. This must have been why she came home all the sudden."

"If I can cure her of course I will!" Merlin said quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

"Thank you, Merlin." Gaius said, smiling at him. "I know you are powerful enough to heal her, it is just a matter of keeping the whole thing a secret. Here." He passed Merlin a very large book across the table and opened it to a bookmarked page. "I don't think she was aware of what her ailment _was_ or she would have informed us of it, I think." Gaius told him, "but I'm afraid if we don't treat her quite soon she will die."

Merlin looked down hurriedly at the book and read the section through, but paused when he reached a certain line about halfway through. "No, wait a minute, she can't have this disease." He said, frowning as he looked up at Gaius, "It says 'the sickness cannot harm those who have performed magic or have natural magical abilities, but can only be cured by the use of magic itself.' that can't be right."

"And, why not?" Gaius asked with raised eyebrows, before he suddenly frowned, "Oh, Verona..." He let out a very long sigh, and then said, "Merlin... Please tell me Verona did not tell you that she had magic."

Merlin swallowed. He didn't understand. No, he didn't _want_ to understand. "Of...Of course she did. She wouldn't have kept it a secret from me!"

"No. If she had magic, she certainly wouldn't have kept it a secret from you." Gaius pushed back his chair and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Silly, silly girl."

Merlin jumped to his feet, and stared at Gaius, "You mean, Verona...She doesn't have-" He broke off, and he fought to keep the hurt and confusion from his voice, "She lied to me?"

Gaius nodded gravely, "I'm afraid she must have."

"Everything she said to me was a lie." He stated, his voice quiet.

"Oh, I'm sure not everything Merlin. But Verona has always had a tendency to say what she thought she must to impress people." Gaius' voice was filled with frustration, "I'm sorry." He told him.

Merlin didn't answer, instead he looked down at the book and continued to read, frowning.

And then he went and sat beside the girl, extended a shaking hand just above her face, and began to quietly murmur the spell that would heal her.

00000

Merlin lay on his bed, staring at the wall. Anger boiled inside of him like soup on a fire, and threatened to overflow at any moment. He was confused, hurt, angry. Furious, he was really furious. But when he wasn't busy being furious, he was filled with confusion, wondering why she would have lied to him, and then hurt, when he realized that the girl he had trusted hadn't even existed.

Because, honestly, no matter what he had always tried to tell himself. He didn't really _know_ Verona. She had always confused him. But now, he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know her.

So yes, he had healed the girl. But he wouldn't have let anyone just lay there and die when it was in his power to help them. Let alone Gaius' daughter.

He'd really done it for Gaius, not at all for Verona.

Verona. How could she have done this? He'd actually begun to think he understood her. He'd actually begun to think they stood a chance. That maybe, just maybe, they were right for each other.

He had never felt more foolish.

"Merlin?" A girl's voice broke into his thoughts and gripped his heart with a terrible, wrenching pain.

But he did not reply.

"Merlin?" She repeated, a sort of timidity in her voice that Merlin almost believed. But no, he thought, that was probably fake too.

He didn't close his eyes and pretend to be asleep, he just laid there staring at the wall in front of him. Making it very obvious that he was ignoring her.

"Oh, please say something?" Verona begged him, "Father says if it wasn't for you I would have died... Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He muttered, his voice low and almost incoherent.

"You've always been so kind I owe you my thanks-"

"No. Really, Verona. _Don't mention it._" He said, his voice filled with more venom then he meant for it too.

There was a silence, and Merlin sat up. Sitting there, he could see the pain in her eyes as she tried to think of _something, anything_ to say. He almost lost his will to be angry, but then reminded himself she could easily be _pretending_ to be sad. All she had done sense he had known her was pretend. Why was this any different?

"I'm sorry that I lied to you Merlin..." She mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Why _did_ you lie to me?" He asked, his voice raising as he got to his feet and stared at her, awaiting an answer.

Her sad expression turned to an almost angry one, "Do you really want to know?"

"That's why I asked." He stated.

"Because," She said, her voice becoming slightly more high-pitched as she became more and more upset. "Because I knew that you would never love anyone who _wasn't_ magical, Merlin! You never would have liked me if you hadn't thought that I had some magical abilities!"

"That's not true!" Merlin argued, his voice becoming defensive.

"You know that it is!" She said, her voice filled with hurt, which Merlin didn't think was exactly fair after what she had done to him.

He was silent for a moment, before saying angrily, "I don't even know you. I trusted you, I believed in you, I had feelings for you. But I don't even know who _you_ are."

"No. You are right. You don't know who _I _am. _I_ hardly even know who I am!" She said, frustration filling her voice. "Because no one ever liked _me_, Merlin! I'm not a likable person! So when I meet someone like you, who-" She broke off, and her voice wavered as she continued, "Who i-is so wonderful that I just...I just... I have to pretend to be someone else, or you never even would have looked twice at me! If I hadn't pretended to be the cheerful, funny, adventurous Verona, you never would have even noticed me! Let alone if I hadn't told you I had magic."

He didn't answer right away, but after some time had passed he said, "Everything about you is a lie. Everything."

"You never would have noticed me if I hadn't made up all those things, Merlin! You wouldn't have cared! I had to be something spectacular to get your attention. That's why I lied to you about being magic!" She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and Merlin couldn't bear to see them, so he looked away.

"How could I ever trust you again? Everything I thought you were before wasn't even real. I'll never be able to tell who the real you is!"

She nodded, her eyes downcast and all the anger drained from her voice until all that was left was defeat. "I don't think you would have been so upset if you weren't so disappointed I wasn't magical. I think that's what really matters to you."

"You think I'm that shallow? I'm not the one who was lying-"

"No, Merlin, I don't think you are shallow. If I had thought that I never would have gone through so much work to impress you. I think you are wonderful… One of the most wonderful people I have ever known."

He didn't answer, instead he laid back down on his bed and stared at the wall once more, signaling the conversation was over.

Verona took the hint and left the room.

000000

Merlin's anger had pretty much evaporated as soon as Verona had left the room. But it had been replaced with hurt and sadness. He wouldn't go after her. He would try to talk to her again. Because he was convinced that no matter what, he would never be sure he really knew _her_.

The girl he had known hadn't been real. She hadn't existed. The girl he had known had been part of a story, she had been a dream, an idea.

But she had not been Verona. He didn't even know Verona.

Some of her words had stung, though, even if she hadn't meant them too. It had stung when she had told him that the real reason he was angry at not knowing her, was because he wished she did have magic. How she had said he wouldn't have ever noticed unless she told him that lie.

The words stung because he was almost convinced that she was right.

**Author's Note: Yeah, so, that was pretty dramatic. I hope you didn't hate it. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I'm going to be really honest, after the last chapter, my will to write diminished quite a lot. I don't know why, it was just kind of like, that was the point in the story I had been working to with a clear image in my mind of what it might look like. The rest was sort of vague. On the other hand, though, I feel like once I move past that point, the rest can all become clearer.**

I don't want to beg and plead, but if you have ever written a fanfiction, you know how encouraging it is to get reviews. So I'm just going to ask, that if you've been reading this without reviewing... It would really make me smile if you would review :) It brightens my world a little with each review.

I mean, I don't want to be like, whiny about it. But looking at the story stats if everyone who had this on their story alert reviewed... I would have lots of reviews! :) I've sort of decided with myself that when I read a story I enjoy, I'll review it, because I know how great it is to get reviews and how sad it is not to get them. Besides, it only takes five minutes.

But okay, I'm done begging now.

But, I want to thank ruby890 for being a constant reviewer! It means so much to me!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Probably best that way, the show would be way more dramatic if I did.

Chapter Eight, Working

Merlin was up early the next morning. He hadn't slept very well the night before, because all of the thoughts spinning round and round in his head had kept him awake.

He hadn't left his room once after his conversation with Verona, and wasn't sure how he was going to face her the next day, because he wasn't really ready to have a conversation with her yet. He was still angry. Still sure he couldn't trust her.

But he didn't have to face her that day.

When he came out in the morning for breakfast, Gaius was the only one in the room. He looked over at Merlin and said, "Have a seat, I'll get you some breakfast."

"Thanks, Gaius," Merlin mumbled, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Gaius meant a lot to Merlin, he had always been like a father to him, so it was just a little uncomfortable being furious at Verona when Gaius was there. Because Merlin wasn't sure whose side he would take.

When he sat down at the table, a small envelope caught his eye. The word _Merlin_ had been quickly scribbled across the front of it, and he reached over and slowly opened it. Pulling the note out, he began to read,

'_Dear Merlin,_  
_ My father and I have together decided that it would probably be best for us all if I returned to the very kind family of bakers I lived with before I came to Camelot. You did not deserve to have to deal with the constant discomfort of my presence here. Besides, I believe, even if he won't say so, my father is a little irritated with me. You are like a son to him, Merlin, and the fact that I hurt you hurts him for both of our sakes._  
_ But I owe you some explanations, and you will receive them. I returned to Camelot because I knew that I was ill. I had no idea what my sickness was, just that it was incurable. I had visited a physician in a town nearby where I had been living, and he had simply told me that it was deadly and that there was no cure and that he was sorry. I believe he was afraid of magic. I did not want to be away from my father in my final days, and I had heard that the reason I had left Camelot in the first place was no longer a concern. So I came._  
_ Then I met you. And, you asked me so many times why it hadn't been safe for me to stay in the first place, that I feel I should now tell you, even if the memory shames me, and I hate to have you think less of me then you already do.  
Magic was involved in my decision to leave Camelot the first time, but it had nothing to do with me having it. You see, I was going through a rebellious phase, and would have done anything to frustrate my father. Which was absolutely silly of me, considering he has never been anything but good, but that is besides the point. I wanted to upset my father, and conveniently, at the same time I met a man named Gregorin. Gregorin was rather older then me, and I learned right away that he was a sorcerer. Just the type to anger my father, I thought. But I did to Gregorin just as I did to you, I became who I knew he would want me to be to impress him, and soon we decided to elope. Thankfully, before we had the chance to wed, I began to notice a change in Gregorin's behavior. He was violent and cruel. I was frightened of him. He was not like you, Merlin, he was not the good sort. You know how to use your magic to help people, Gregorin knew only how to cause harm. And so I left him, thankfully we had not had the chance to elope or I would have been married to the fool! Only think! But Gregorin was angry that I had left him, and so he vowed he would kill me unless I returned to him. I did not believe him, but one day he almost succeeded in taking my life, and my father and I decided that it was best if I left Camelot, for the sake of my own safety. A few months ago, I learned that Gregorin's sorcery had been discovered, and that he had been executed by the king. It was finally safe for me to return to Camelot.  
Merlin, all my life all I have ever done was pretend to be someone else to please people. But you were different. I truly loved you, and I know you won't believe me, I know you will still be angry, but you deserved to know that you were not just another person on my list of those to fool. I only ever wanted to impress you, to make you happy.  
I am not foolish enough to think you can ever love me now, but I pray that you could at least find it in your heart to forgive me, someday, if not now.  
I hope I will see you again one day,_

Love,  
Verona.

Merlin stared at the letter for a time, before folding it up and placing it back into the envelope. Then he put it into his pocket. He realized that while he had been reading, Gaius had already set his food in front of him.

"Thanks for breakfast, Gaius." Merlin said, quietly. "Is it true?"

"About Gregorin?" Gaius asked, glancing at Merlin, "Yes. It's true."

Merlin sighed, "I'm really sorry Gaius. You shouldn't have to say goodbye to your daughter because of me."

"I think it's for the best, Merlin. I had hoped she had learned her lesson before, but perhaps this time she really will." Gaius said, shaking his head, "If it counts for anything, however, I believe Verona really cared for you Merlin. She's just never known what it's felt like to be really cared for in return."

"What? I really-"

"I'm not blaming you for her actions." Gaius told him quickly.

He nodded, "I know, Gaius." He took his empty bowl and put it in a bucket of soapy water. He cleaned out quickly before saying, "I better get to work before Arthur gets angry."

00000

Merlin tried very hard to go the day without thinking of Verona, but everything he did reminded him of her somehow. He found he could best forget, however, when he was working. So he set to work. He cleaned everything in sight, until the room was spotless, and then he went to polishing Arthur's shoes or his armor. Anything to keep his mind off of the girl that was long gone by now.

Late in the evening, Arthur came in and spotted Merlin scrubbing away at a boot that was already perfectly clean, "The world must be ending!" He said, cheerfully as he glanced at his servant, "If you are actually _working_. Don't you have a girlfriend you want to go on a date with or something? It looks like you've cleaned the whole room _twice_."

At one point, that might have seemed like a nice thing for Arthur to say, but now it only made things worse for Merlin.

He started scrubbing a little more violently at the shoe.

"Ohhh, you're avoiding her, are you?" Arthur asked, eyebrows raised, "What did she do? Call you an idiot? Cause I hate to break it to you Merlin-"

"I'm not avoiding her!" He said, without looking up as he continued his work. "There's no one to avoid." He muttered.

"Oh." Arthur was at a loss for words for once. "Look, I'm sorry Merlin, but it's not worth getting all upset over. Honestly, she's just a girl."

Merlin tossed the shoe to the side and picked up the next one, "Oh yeah, you've never worried about 'just a girl' before."

"But, you barely knew the girl." Arthur said, he was trying to comfort his servant, but he could tell it wasn't really helping.

"Isn't that the truth." Merlin sighed, setting the clean shoe next to the others. "Is there anything else you need done, sire?"

_He really must be depressed,_ Arthur thought, though he wasn't really sure what to do about it. Working seemed to help Merlin though, so Arthur began his list.

"Have you cleaned my armor?"

"Yes."

"Scrubbed the floor?"

"Done."

"Washed my clothes?"

"Yeah."

"Polished the silver?"

"Three times."

"Okay, Merlin, what _haven't_ you done?" He asked, surprised. If Merlin wasn't so upset, Arthur might have almost considered this a miracle!

"Absolutely nothing. Need me to scrub the floor again? You trailed some dirt in, I think." Merlin offered, half-heartedly.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Arthur shook his head, "This is unhealthy."

"You sure you want to insult me after I did all that?" Merlin asked Arthur, eyebrows raised.

"Merlin. Sit down."

Merlin did as he was told, and Arthur began a very long speech about how a girl wasn't worth getting all upset about. How Merlin didn't need to be all depressed because Verona had left. How he hadn't even known her all that long. How a depressed Merlin was just depressing to everyone else, and how he was even more annoying when he was upset then when he talked endlessly like normal.

It was a rather insulting speech. But Arthur meant well.

"Gee, thanks." Merlin shook his head, "But I get a feeling if I gave you this speech about Gwen you would completely disagree with me."

"Well, that's different..." Arthur said, not sure what other argument to give to prove his point, but what Merlin said surprised him.

"Yeah, it actually is different. You're right. I had to say it though."

Arthur sighed, "Just go get some food and sleep, you're so depressing."

**Author's Note: I know that was a super short chapter, and I'm sorry. But I hope you liked it anyway. I also know it was a bit OOC, but I didn't know how else to write a super depressed Merlin. So I hope you didn't hate it. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I just want to thank those really kind people who reviewed my last chapter. You guys are great! :)**

One more thing, I am VERY Anti-slash. I can't stand it. So anything you might perceive as that in this fanfiction IS NOT! I just like the friendships on the show. Just wanted to clarify that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. You would find out if I did, trust me.  
  
**Chapter Nine, Travels and Letters**

A week had passed since Verona had left Camelot, and while Merlin was a little more like his old self, he was by no means over the whole thing.

He managed to act more normal. He stopped the obsessive cleaning, and he laughed a little bit more. But it was more out of an obligation he felt to be normal, rather then truly being better. He missed Verona. Or he missed the girl he had thought he'd known. And while he still felt he would never be able to really trust her, it was no longer anger that he really felt. He just felt sadness and loss.

He wished that he really could know who _she_ was. Not who she pretended to be. But how would he ever know for sure?

He was in the middle of scrubbing the floor of Arthur's chambers (This time because he had been told to, and not because he had nothing better to do.) when Gwen entered.

"Merlin, good! I thought I'd find you here." She said cheerfully.

"M'lady." He said, nodding to her and smiling as he dipped his wash cloth into the soapy water and continued his work.

"Oh, don't call me that!" She said, shaking her head, before kneeling beside him, "Here, hand me one of those rags, please."

"No way. Arthur would kill me if he knew I'd let you work!" Merlin shook his head and continued his work.

"I need to feel useful somehow, Merlin, no one has let me work for a week!" Gwen said in exasperation.

"Alright, here, but just remember I could lose my head for this!" He joked, handing her a rag. "Don't ruin your dress."

"I'm not cut out for all these fancy dresses and not being allowed to work, I mean, not that I'm not _extremely_ thankful, because I am, but I just don't feel like I quite belong. Not that I mind not being a servant anymore-"

"It's alright, Gwen!" Merlin laughed.

She smiled, but then her smile turned to a frown and her eyes filled with concern, "Merlin, I heard that Verona left. I'm so sorry. She seemed like a very sweet girl."

Merlin frowned, and scrubbed the floor a little more furiously, "Yeah, she did." He answered weakly, "Look, it's no big deal."

"Are you alright, though?" She asked, pausing in her work to look at him.

He looked up at her, "Me? Oh, yeah! I've never been better! Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, forcing cheerfulness into his voice.

Gwen wasn't fooled, "Merlin...?"

"I feel better when I _don't_ talk about it, Gwen." Merlin answered, keeping his voice calm.

She nodded, "Alright."

They finished cleaning the floor and Merlin got to his feet, "Thanks!" He said, picking up the bucket of soapy water, and leading the way out of the room.

0000

A while later, there was a knock on the door and Merlin opened it to find Arthur, "Did I, uh, forget to clean something?" He asked, with a sigh. He had counted on relaxing for the evening.

"No." Arthur said, rolling his eyes, "Guinevere says you're still miserable. Which is fine with me, as long as you don't pout all the time. But she _insists_ that I take you on a hunting trip to cheer you up."

Merlin raised his eyebrows, "That's kind of Gwen. But, what about a _hunting trip_ sounds like it would cheer me up? Seems more like it'd make you happy."

Arthur glared at him. "Be ready to leave by dawn tomorrow." He said, before turning on his heels and leaving the room.

Merlin shrugged and closed the door. '_Oh well, how bad could it really be?'_

0000

The next day, bright and early, Merlin and Arthur set out on the hunting trip. Merlin was half asleep on his horse as they rode along, because he'd been up half the night wondering if Verona had made it safely home.

He tried not to be so concerned about her, but he missed her, and thoughts of her were constantly on his mind.

_But you didn't even know her!_ He tried to tell himself, again and again, but he couldn't convince himself to forget her. It was an impossible task, because until he found out, he would always be forced to wonder, _Who was she really?_

He felt that the question would always haunt him.

Merlin didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he toppled off of his horse.

_Crash!_

"Ouch." He muttered, though he didn't seem to be seriously injured, he was definitely wide awake now.

Arthur stared down at him, a little surprised. And then he started laughing. "Nice, very good. Well done." He chuckled. "Are you alright?" He was still laughing.

"I'm fine." Merlin said, shaking his head, and grinning slightly. "You really shouldn't laugh, though, I could have died!"

"Then it would have been hilarious, wouldn't it have been?" Arthur joked, as he allowed his horse to trot along once more.

Merlin climbed back onto his horse, a little bit sore, but otherwise unharmed. He held on a little more tightly to the reigns and this time did not come close to falling asleep.

What felt like hours later, they were still riding along, "So, I never thought I'd ask this...But when are we actually going to get to _hunt_ something?" Merlin asked, sounding exasperated, "We've been riding for hours!"

"Stop whining, Merlin!" Arthur replied, without really answering his question.

"But how much longer until-" Merlin stopped mid-sentence as the two horses drew to a stop.

They had stopped in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. And there, in the very center stood a woman that Merlin knew very well.

He jumped off of his horse and ran to her, "What are you doing here, mother?" He asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Hunith smiled at Merlin and extended her arms to him, and he hugged her. When she let go of Merlin, she gave a slight curtsy to Arthur, "Thank you, sire, for arranging this. It is so good to see my son again."

"Wait a minute, this is what we were doing all along? There was no hunting trip?" Merlin asked, surprise filling his expression.

"You really _are_ slow, Merlin." Arthur said, shaking his head. "Besides, it was all Guinevere's idea. She practically forced me."

"Be careful, Arthur, people might start to think you are nice." Merlin said, grinning and glancing at his mother happily.

"I _am_ nice you idiot. Now come along," He said, shaking his head and turning his horse around.

"You're coming with us, then?" Merlin asked excitedly, as he looked at his mother.

She nodded, smilingly, "For a few days, yes." She mounted an old pony that Merlin recognized as their neighbor's.

"The Benson's let you borrow old Tabitha?" He asked, patting the horse on the head.

"Indeed. She's getting old, but she's a strong one."

Merlin mounted his own horse, (Well, it was technically not his, but the horse he rode when they traveled, anyway) and they were off.

Merlin and Hunith rode a little ways behind Arthur, side by side, so that they could talk as they rode.

After some small talk, Hunith looked at her son and said softly, "I've heard you are having girl problems, Merlin, dear." His mother's voice was gentle as she spoke.

He might have turned red if the conversation didn't make him so sad, he just shrugged, "It's complicated." He mumbled.

"Well, we've got a long trip ahead. Still an hour ride, at least."

Merlin hesitated, before glancing ahead at Arthur, "Probably best we don't talk about it right now, mum." He said, lowering his voice considerably. He slowed his horse and once he was sure Arthur was out of earshot, he whispered simply, "There's magic involved."

His mother nodded knowingly and whispered back, "So why don't you tell me the version that doesn't involve magic, and fill me in when we get to Camelot."

Merlin nodded his response, and they hurried their horses back a little nearer to Arthur's so they wouldn't lose track of him. Merlin didn't want to get his mother lost.

"Verona," He began, keeping his voice strong, "was Gaius' daughter." He told his mother, glancing over at her and seeing surprise written on her face. "She seemed funny, nice, adventurous,-" Merlin could have gone on for hours, but his mother stopped him.

"What do you mean 'seemed'?"

"I'll explain in a moment," Merlin told her, before glancing ahead at the prince. "Do you usually eavesdrop on conversations your servants and their mothers have, sire?"

"Oh, shut up, Merlin. It's because of me - Well, and Guinevere - that you get to see your mother. Nothing against you, of course." Arthur said, smiling at Merlin's mum like he was an angel of a prince, who _never_ mistreated her son who was his servant. _Never_. What a laugh!

"Of course, sire." Hunith replied patiently. While she knew it was very important that he was the prince, he was still very young, and the childlike manner of the two amused her rather a lot.

Merlin shrugged, and decided to just go on with the story, leaving out the bits about magic, of course, "She told a lot of stories, Verona did," Merlin informed his mum, "And one day, she got sick. Gaius and I had to, er..." He paused, "work together to heal her. Gaius needed my help more then usual." He said, giving his mother a meaningful look. "But in the process of healing her, and talking to Gaius, I essentially found out that everything she'd been telling me had been a lie. When I asked her about it later, she admitted that not only was she lying about all those stories she told, she was lying about who _she_ was. She said the way she behaved had been an act to 'impress me,' she said. That I had never even really known her... And then she left."

His mother was silent for some time, but then she said gently, "But she was just trying to impress you?"

"So _she said_." Merlin repeated, shrugging, and patting his horse on the neck simply to give him something to do other then look at his mother.

"Then all those lies she told, it was just because she liked you and wanted you to like her." It wasn't a question, Hunith was making a statement. She sighed, "Oh Merlin, Verona isn't the only girl who has ever lied to impress a boy, and she won't be the last. Perhaps she was more expert at it then some, but it's not unusual."

"Just because it's not unusual doesn't make it any better!" He objected in frustration, "Besides, how am I ever supposed to trust her again? I'll never know if she's just being _her_ or if she's being who she thinks I _want_ her to be."

"I'm not saying you have to take her back, dear, I'm just saying maybe you should go a little easy on her." Hunith said gently.

"I know..." He said softly, his eyes downcast.

"Merlin, sweetheart," His mother said, looking over at him with fond eyes. "I'm proud of you."

Merlin looked up at his mum and smiled, "Thanks, mother."

00000

The ride back to Camelot seemed to pass much more quickly then the trip away from it had.

When they arrived, Merlin and his mother made their way to Gaius' and Merlin's quarters.

Merlin swung the door open cheerfully and called out, "Gaius! Look who's here!"

Gaius turned around and smiled, though he didn't look at all surprised, "Hello Hunith!" He said, his voice cheerful.

"Hello Gaius!" Hunith replied with equal cheer, happy to see her old friend.

"Merlin, someone left a note for you on the table," Gaius said, as he stirred something in a pot, "I'm making dinner, it will be ready soon."

"Do you know who it's from?" Merlin asked Gaius curiously, as he hurried to the table and lifted up an envelope. Somehow, he was disappointed that he didn't recognize the handwriting, he'd been secretly hoping it was from Verona. Though why, he wasn't sure.

"No idea, they had one of the guards bring it by." Gaius replied from across the room.

Shrugging, Merlin ripped open the envelope, but what he read made his blood run cold.

_Merlin, we have someone you love. Comply with our demands and she will not be harmed. Meet us at the enclosed location in two days, or the girl dies._

Merlin grabbed the envelope and ripped out the address, reading it over quickly he ran to the door. "I have to go!" He said, his voice near frantic.

"What's wrong?" Gaius and Hunith asked in unison, giving Merlin looks of surprise and fear.

Merlin flung the door open said, "They've got Verona!" and then left in an instant.

0000

Arthur entered his room, tired after the long day of doing nothing but riding. He was prepared to just collapse and go to sleep, but something on the table caught his eye.

He picked up a small envelope bearing the words _'Prince Arthur' _and opened it curiously, but his heart dropped in his stomach as he read,

_Prince Arthur, we have your love, the Lady Guinevere. Comply with our demands and she will not be harmed. Meet us at the enclosed location in two days, or the girl dies.  
Please note, if you attempt to bring your fathers army, or any of your knights, the Lady will die._

He was out the door in a matter of seconds.

**Author's Note: Hehehehe, I feel slightly evil for that ending. But, alas, suspense is a good thing! I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry it has taken me so long to update! I'm working on a new project, with one of my favorite fanfiction authors, that I'm extremely excited about, I can't wait for you guys to see it :) You will look at it when it's done, right? right? :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

**Chapter Ten, The Stolen**

Merlin wasn't very far down the hallway when he ran straight into Arthur, "Ouch!" He muttered.

"Move Merlin!" Arthur said, his voice not insulting so much as urgent as he rushed down the hallway. Merlin shook his head and ran in the same direction.

"Why are you following me?" Arthur demanded, frustration in his voice.

"I'm not following you! I have somewhere I need to be!" He said urgently.

"Where?" Arthur demanded, as he stopped for a moment.

Merlin stopped too, though hesitantly, and glanced at the prince. "Someone's kidnapped Verona, I have to go help her. They left this," He said, pulling out the note and handing it to the prince. "Now I have to go!"

"Wait!" Arthur ordered, reading over the note and looking slightly pale, before handing it back to Merlin. "They have Guinevere too. Come on." He said, sprinting down the hallway.

Merlin rushed after the prince and said in a half-whisper so passersby wouldn't hear, "They took Gwen too?" He asked, "Just when I thought this couldn't get worse..." He mumbled.

Soon they were outside and in the stables, they mounted their horses and left at a run.

00000

They rode steadily at a gallop for hours and only slowed down after the moon was high in the sky and the sun had long since sunk behind the distant hills. They both wished to continue riding through the night, but the paths were rocky and were filled with sudden turns, and it would be a struggle to keep from getting lost if they kept going, besides, the horses were getting tired, and they wouldn't get anywhere with exhausted horses. So they were forced to stop for the moment.

Merlin worked away at trying to start a fire. Normally he could have done it quickly and easily, even without magic, but now he was struggling with it. He was too nervous to concentrate on the task before him and he let out a sigh of frustration. Thankfully, Arthur was too busy with his own thoughts to take time to mock Merlin for how long it was taking to build the fire.

After a few minutes, Merlin cleared his throat and said, "Would you go get fire wood?" He asked Arthur over his shoulder.

"Whose the servant here?" Arthur demanded, and then seemed to decide it didn't matter and got up and walked away.

"Wow, he really must be upset to do _work_." Merlin thought, with a slight grin. But then he was reminded of the circumstances and frowned again, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Arthur was nowhere nearby, and then he looked back at the small pile of wood in front of him, extended a hand a murmured a quiet spell. Flames erupted there.

He sighed in relief and leaned against a tree in an attempt to relax, but it was hard knowing Verona and Gwen were in trouble. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the thoughts filling his mind. What had been the last thing he'd said to Verona before she had left? He didn't know, he just knew that it had been something horrible. The whole conversation had been horrible, and now she was in danger.

"I will find you..." He said quietly as he stared into the glow of the fire.

After a few more minutes Arthur returned and dumped some wood onto the fire, "Next time that is your job." He muttered, sitting down.

"I started the fire!" Merlin argued.

"Good for you, Merlin, you at least know how to be slightly helpful!" Arthur said in a patronizing voice.

"You know, you aren't the only person who is worried about someone you love! They have Verona too!" Merlin said in frustration, "Besides, Gwen is my friend as well!"

Arthur was silent for a moment, before grumbling, "Sorry, Merlin, you're right."

Merlin's mouth dropped open, "What did you say, sire?" He grinned suddenly, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you! You'll have to repeat that!"

"Oh, shut up!" Arthur demanded, "I'm taking first watch."

00000

Atdawn they began riding again, both of them unusually quiet as they tried to think of how they were going to save Verona and Gwen without dying. The trouble was, they didn't know who the kidnappers were, or what the circumstances would be like. So they had no way to come up with a good rescue plan.

"Okay, Merlin, here's the plan." Arthur said finally after a very long silence. "You do exactly what I say, when I say it, and try not to die or do anything stupid, if you can help it."

"Gee, sounds like a great plan, Arthur! A real winner!" Merlin said, in a false cheerful voice.

"It's the only one we've got." Arthur said, his voice unusually grave.

They were drawing near to their destination, and Merlin was growing more worried by the second. Not only did he need to find Verona and Gwen, he needed to make sure Arthur didn't get killed in the process, or he would ruin his own destiny.

Sometimes it was really horrible to have a destiny to protect someone. It was like being forced to be a body guard for your entire life, and you didn't have a choice, it was just your job. Sometimes it wasn't such a bad thing, and Arthur was his friend so Merlin wanted to protect him, but Merlin knew that if it came down to a choice between saving Verona or saving Arthur, he would not have much say in the matter. Not that he wanted to choose who lived and who died. But he certainly didn't want Verona to die either, especially not after all the awful things he'd said to her before she left.

A rather large stone house appeared on the horizon, and Merlin's heart began to beat more quickly with fear as they approached it.

"Hang on." Arthur drew his horse to a very sudden stop, and Merlin slowed his as well, confused.

"What? We really should hurry and go." Merlin urged, preparing to continue, but Arthur held up a hand to stop him. "_What_?"

"Doesn't it seem a little odd to you?" Arthur asked, with his brow furrowed.

"Does what seem odd?" Merlin asked, not understanding what Arthur meant.

"I understand why someone would kidnap Guinevere. I'm the prince, people will want to get to me." Arthur said, glancing from Merlin to the stone building in front of him. "But I can't fathom any reason, on the face of this _earth_ that would make someone want to kidnap Verona as a ransom to a lowly _servant._"

Merlin might have been insulted, but Arthur sounded so serious that he decided not to take offense at the words. He stared at the stone building, wondering if Verona and Gwen would be alright, before glancing back at Arthur and realizing that he was awaiting an answer.

"I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe they think I'm a threat."

Arthur gave a humorless laugh, "Doubt it." He shrugged, "Oh well, doesn't matter now I suppose. Let's go save our girls, shall we?"

Merlin frowned as they dismounted their horses and walked towards the old stone house, thinking about what Arthur had said. Whoever had kidnapped Verona and Gwen must have known about Merlin's magic. _That could be a problem, _Merlin thought, sighing.

They arrived at the door, and hesitantly tried the handle. It was unlocked and pushed open effortlessly, but with a loud _creak._

Merlin and Arthur stepped quietly into a dark room. There was an old table with silver candlesticks atop it, the table was covered in dust. It's two chairs were knocked over on the floor, which was covered in cobwebs, dirt, and dust.

Merlin coughed as he breathed the dusty air, only to be given a loud 'Shush!' by Arthur.

There was a door nearby, that was cracked open slightly and out a thin line of golden light. And there was an old grand staircase that curved up into a second floor hallway, behind the railing of the highway above was another door, this one was flung wide open, but only a gentle light came from inside.

The two of them glanced at each other, unsure which room to choose. Merlin coughed again, and this time Arthur didn't get angry because he was having trouble keeping from coughing himself with all the dust in the air.

Suddenly there was a scream from upstairs, and Merlin's blood ran cold. "Verona!" He yelled, running up the grand staircase.

"Merlin, wait a minute!" Arthur called in a low voice, as if to get Merlin's attention without alerting anyone of their presence.

"Arthur?" A frightened voice called from the other room, "Merlin? Arthur!" The voice was Guinevere's and she seemed to be sobbing.

Arthur forgot all caution and ran towards the cries that were coming from the open door nearby, while Merlin was far away upstairs.

00000

Arthur stepped into the room and saw Guinevere tied to a chair nearby, tears were streaming down her face and her eyes widened with a look of alarm when she saw Arthur. She shook her head violently, as if trying to warn him.

He glanced over his shoulder, and saw a blond woman standing behind him. Morgause.

"Hello Prince Arthur," She said, a smile spreading across her face.

00000

Merlin felt his heartbeat quickening as he stepped into the dimly lit room, "Verona?" He whispered, and then he froze as he saw her tied up on the other side of the room, her eyes wide with fear.

"Merlin..." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears, "I wish you had not come."

Her eyes settled somewhere behind Merlin, and he glanced behind him to see what she was so afraid of.

"Morgana." Merlin acknowledged, as his eyes fell on the dark-haired woman.

"Hello, Merlin, you arrived just in time for the...Party, of sorts." Morgana's voice cut through the room like daggers, and her eyes were cold and dark as a grin spread across her face, only half-lit by a candle nearby.

**Author's Note: Couldn't resist ending on another cliffhanger! Sorry about that :) I hope you guys liked it! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Merlin. That hasn't changed, unfortunately :)**

**Warning: You may have noticed the rating on this story changed from Rated K to Rated K+. I wanted to assure you that this story will remain clean, I only changed the rating because there is more violence than before now, and it's a little dark.**

**Author's Note: I suppose you have figured out by now that we are disregarding the end of season three in this fanfiction? I had planned this before I saw the end, which is why this is the case. I did love the finale though!**

**Chapter Eleven, Magic's Sting**

In a matter of minutes, the four of them were all locked in the dark room at the top of the stairs. Morgana and Morgause had both left the room, (Morgana had done so before Arthur arrived, and he was still unaware of her involvement in the whole thing.)

The door to the room was locked, but Merlin and Arthur had not been tied up, so they helped untie Verona and Gwen, but that was all they could do at the moment.

Verona sat curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth with tears streaming down her cheeks. She had a cut on her forehead that was long but not deep. Unlike the gash on her chin that was deep and still bleeding a bit. Her face was pale with fear and her eyes bloodshot from crying.

Merlin approached her slowly and knelt down in front of her, "Verona..." He said softly, extending a hand to gently move the hair out of the girl's eyes.

He hardly recognized the girl, she looked nothing like the Verona he had thought he knew before. And it was not the cuts on her face that changed her appearance. It was the terrible fear in her tear-filled eyes that made her appearance unfamiliar to Merlin. He'd only ever known the brave and adventurous Verona. He never imagined she could be like _this._

For the first time ever, he felt like he was truly seeing the real _her._ He could see how she was really feeling, and while he felt horrible that she was so frightened and upset, it was a relief to know for sure how she felt.

Verona wouldn't look Merlin in the eyes, and he repeated her name trying to get her attention, "Verona." He said, a little more firmly.

She glanced up at him and then her eyes fell to the ground once more. "Oh, Merlin! This is all my fault!" She sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "If you die it will have been my fault!"

Merlin extended a hand and gently put it under her chin, lifting her face so she was looking at him, "We are not going to die. Not any of us!" Merlin said, with so much determination and strength in his assurance that he surprised himself.

He stared into the eyes of the frightened girl, and he did not recognize her. She was not who he had thought Verona was. But this _was_ Verona. What he did not know was if he loved this girl, or if he loved the girl that hadn't existed. Either way, he was determined to make sure she lived through this day. He would protect her, and then maybe one day he would really understand who _she_ was.

Merlin wrapped his arms around her in a hug and then leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I will get you out of here."

**0000**

Arthur sat on the other side of the room, speaking quietly to Guinevere. Her eyes were downcast, and Arthur had a difficult time getting her to say much. She wasn't in as awful a state as Verona was, but there was still a look of fear in her eyes, and Arthur could see how upset she was.

"We're going to get out of here, Guinevere, don't worry." Arthur said softly, reaching for her hand.

She looked up at him, her eyes were red from crying, but to Arthur they were still the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. "Oh, Arthur..." Guinevere seemed at a loss for words, and her eyes fell to the ground again. After a long silence, she continued, "Had I only been more careful...

"_I _still would have been dragged here by Merlin!" Arthur joked, trying to lighten the girl's mood, but Gwen continued to frown.

Guinevere's eyes widened and she shook her head, "You don't understand, Arthur!" Her eyes were pleading as she whispered, "You don't understand... It was Morgana!"

Arthur stared at her, "They've kidnapped Morgana too?"

Gwen's eyes filled with tears, "No, Arthur... Morgana kidnapped _us._"

"What? Guinevere! Surly you can't be serious!" Arthur said, thinking that this seemed an odd joke for Gwen to make.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, tears spilling from her eyes and reaching for his hand.

He gripped her hand tightly, as if she was the only thing keeping him alive, "There must be some mistake, Morgana is our friend!"

"I thought she was too." Guinevere's tears continued to fall, but Arthur had no comfort to offer her. What could he say? He had been betrayed by a friend. They had all been.

"Are you certain?" He asked after some silence.

"I would not have said anything if I was not." Gwen murmured softly, "But I wish it were not so! I saw it all for myself. Besides, she is the only person who could have known about you and I, _and_ about Merlin and Verona."

"Do you know why she did it?" He asked her, desperate to know why Morgana, who had always been a sister to him, would betray them.

Guinevere nodded, "I know much. But I think it is a conversation for later." She said gently, but he could see the pain in her eyes, that was nearly equal to his own.

He braved a smile, for Guinevere's sake, and forced a strong voice, "When we are out of here safely, everything will be explained."

Gwen did not look so certain.

00000

"Sister, I am eager as you are for you to take the throne!" Morgause said, with a smirk, "But all in due time."

"Too many things could go wrong this way." Morgana said urgently.

"Do you trust me?" Morgause asked, calmly.

"With my life." Morgana replied, in a low voice, "But why not just kill Arthur? I will be the only heir left to the throne, and when Uther is gone, I will be queen! This plan is too risky."

"No, Morgana, you think no one will be suspicious if Uther and Arthur are both killed in quick succession? No, it will be much safer to put a spell on Arthur keeping him under our control until further notice. We must go about this patiently."

"I am sure you are right, but it is too risky for my comfort." Sighed Morgana, but then she smiled, "But alright, sister, I trust you."

"There is more to the plan that I have not yet told you, dear sister," A grin spread across Morgause's face when she spoke, "It involves Arthur's servant."

Morgana frowned, "I was wondering why we involved Merlin in this. He has caused me much trouble in past plans."

"It is because he is a sorcerer."

"Merlin? You must be joking, sister!" Morgana exclaimed, staring at her.

Morgause shook her head, "It is odd, isn't it? But it is true."

"So, what will we do with him?" Morgana asked, curiously.

"As you know, our spell over Arthur will be a powerful one. We need three people with magic to complete it. Merlin will help us with it."

"How do you plan to get Merlin to help us? He is a traitor to his kin!" Morgana scoffed.

"We use the girl of course." Grinned Morgause, "Oh, sister, he _will_ help us."

00000

Merlin was sitting beside Verona when the door to the room swung open, revealing Morgana and Morgause, Arthur jumped up as if to fight them, but Merlin called out.

"Arthur! Don't! You won't be able to fight them." He warned,

"Very wise, Merlin." Morgana grinned, walking towards him and Verona slowly.

Merlin moved protectively in front of Verona as Morgana came closer. But Morgana just smiled and waved her hand, and Merlin was knocked to the side and against the wall.

"Verona!" He called, but Morgana already had a tight grip on the girl and was holding a knife to her throat.

"I suggest you do what we ask of you, Merlin." Morgana said, smirking.

Across the room, Morgause was holding Gwen exactly the same way, and giving Arthur instructions.

"Both of you go through the door." Morgause said, looking from Arthur to Merlin and holding tightly to Gwen, and a knife hovering threateningly near her.

Merlin and Arthur obeyed quietly and were led outside the room and down the flight of stairs to the main entrance room.

"Do everything we say and your ladies will go free." Morgause told them, as if this was all perfectly reasonable. "Now, sit." She said, motioning from Arthur to a chair in the middle of the room that had not been there when they entered the first time.

Arthur did as he was told, watching closely to make sure they did not harm Guinevere. He sat in the chair and allowed them to tie him there. Around his feet were scattered strange plants he had never seen before and unlit candles were surrounding him.

"Let Guinevere go." Arthur begged, as he sat helplessly.

"Perhaps we will," said Morgause, calmly. "If everyone behaves themselves, certainly."

Then she turned to Merlin, "You see, Merlin," She gave a frightening smile, "There are only two witches here, and the spell we mean to cast requires the power of three magical sources."

Merlin swallowed, and glanced at the others in the room, before saying quietly, "And so, you plan to do _what_ exactly?"

"Why, you are going to help us of course." Morgana said, smiling evilly as she stepped forward, dragging Verona with her.

"Don't hurt her." He said warningly, as he took a step towards them.

"Certainly I won't." Morgana grinned, "If you help us?"

He glanced at the others, "H-how could I help you?"

"Don't play dumb Merlin!" Morgana snapped, glaring at him. "We need a third source of magic, and unless you help us the girl will die!"

"Leave Verona alone!" Arthur said, and everyone looked at him, a little surprised, "She shouldn't die because Merlin can't help you. Don't be ridiculous!"

"Oh, but he can help us." Morgause grinned down at the prince, "Can't you, Merlin?"

Merlin stared across the room, swallowed hard and said quietly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play games with us!" Morgana shouted, raising the knife threateningly as if she were about to stab Verona.

"No!" Merlin shouted, stepping forward, "You can't hurt her!"

"Then don't lie to us!" Morgana shouted angrily, raising the knife higher.

"Merlin!" Verona's voice was full of fear, as she cowered with her hands covering her face. "Don't do what they ask-"

"Silence!" Morgause cut Verona off, and Verona appeared to be literally unable to talk. She reached for her throat, and then shook her head, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Alright! I won't lie! I'm a sorcerer!" Merlin shouted desperately, and Verona let out a sob, her voice seeming to have been returned to her.

Morgause smiled, "Your friends may think you are lying to please us. Why not prove it to them?"

Trembling, Merlin raised a hand towards the table across the room, and mumbled a few words under his breath. It lifted from the ground before landing softly again. "There. Are you happy?"

Arthur and Gwen were staring at Merlin with something that was either shock or horror in their eyes, but Merlin could not tell which. Perhaps it was both. Either way, he couldn't look at them in the eyes, so he turned away.

"If you help us, neither the Lady Guinevere or your sweet Verona will be killed." Morgana said, as if she were offering him some kindness.

Merlin looked from each of his friends to the next, and knew that he could not win, no matter what he did.

If he refused to help them, then they would kill Gwen and Verona, and Arthur would hate him for letting Gwen die and for being a sorcerer, and he would hate himself for letting Gwen and Verona die.

But then, if he helped them with whatever they were going to do to Arthur, he would not be able to fulfill his destiny, and Gwen would hate him for being a sorcerer and for letting Arthur die. He didn't know what Verona would say, but he imagined she'd be disappointed in him.

Merlin could not win. No matter what.

He was silent for a very long time. He knew what he must do, and he knew what it would cost. But he knew it was right. If he did not save Arthur, then someday there would be war in the land rather than peace, because Arthur would not be there to rule a peaceful kingdom. Thousands of people could die. So what would it be, thousands of strangers? Or two people he loved dearly, one as a sister and one romantically?

Merlin felt pain throbbing in his heart and spreading throughout his entire body. He did not want to choose who lived and who died. It wasn't fair to have the weight of this choice on him. But he had to choose. He had to decide.

His voice filled with pain, he looked directly into Morgana's eyes and said, "I will _not_ help you betray our friends."

And the knife descended upon Verona.

**Author's Note: So, yeah, I'm really evil. I'm pretty sure that was three cliffhangers in a row. But please don't hate me! I'd love it if you would review! Do you think Gwen and Verona will die? What do you think Arthur will think about the whole thing? Merlin's magic and his choice? What would YOU have chosen? And, last but not least, what are your predictions for what is to come? Please let me know in a review! I love hearing your opinions! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

Author's Note: How much do y'all hate me for that last chapter? hehe. I hope you liked it even though I've gotten into the horrible habit of cliffhangers lately. I don't believe this chapter will end on a cliffhanger, though, if that makes you feel any better? Can I just say that I think you guys are really cool for reading this story?

Happy Valentines Day, by the way :)

Warning: This chapter might be a bit violent.

Chapter Twelve, The Fight of the Angry

"No!" Merlin shouted, rage filling him as he watched Verona collapse and fall to the ground, she was bleeding and the knife was in her stomach.

"You will regret this." He said, his voice low and angry as he glared at Morgana and Morgause.

"If you help us, no one else will have to die." Morgause said, as if Merlin should join them because they would all be just great friends if they worked together. But he wasn't about to fall for that.

"No!" His voice was loud and filled the room and he shot out both his hands in front of him, using magic to cause Morgana to fly into the stone wall behind her.

Morgause, distracted for the moment, dropped Gwen and ran to her sister.

Merlin waved his hand, causing Arthur's restraints to loosen, allowing him to free himself from the ropes. Then Merlin ran across the room to where Verona lay on the floor.

She was still alive, he could see, but she appeared to be growing weaker by the second. "You have to stay strong, Verona." He begged, "You can't die."

"Leave me, Merlin..." She whispered, "Run away."

"_Never._" He said, with a determination he hadn't known he could feel. He lifted Verona from the ground and approached Arthur, "You can yell at me for not telling you about my magic later. But right now, get Verona to Gaius. She can't be punished for what I did, just like you said earlier."

Arthur seemed to be having an inward argument, but after a moment he gave a stiff nod and took Verona from Merlin's arms.

"I deserve an explanation, so you best live through this!" Arthur said, annoyance filling his voice. But Merlin thought there was some concern there too.

"Take Gwen and Verona and _go._" Merlin told his friend, before turning and seeing that Morgana was getting to her feet and Morgause was looking furiously at Merlin, ready to attack.

"_Run!"_ He told his friends, and they went for the door as Merlin stood firm in his place.

Morgana and Morgause stared back at Merlin with amusement in their eyes. "Do you really think you can fight the both of us alone?" Morgana asked him.

"I intend to, for Verona." He said, glaring at the two of them. He extended a hand and shouted a loud spell, causing flames to erupt around the two women.

Suddenly though, Arthur returned to the room, sword in hand.

"What are you doing here?" Merlin asked furiously, not taking his eyes from Morgana and Morgause, who had not yet extinguished the fire.

"I intend to fight them. Guinevere is taking Verona to Gaius." Arthur replied, staring ahead at the two women.

Merlin knew Arthur was trying to help, but he figured he would actually be more of a hindrance than a help. Merlin had the feeling Morgana and Morgause were not about to have a sword fight.

The fire was extinguished, and the two women looked like they had been burned, but were mostly unharmed.

Morgause waved her hand, anger in her eyes, and Merlin was thrown to the ground as if a great force had knocked him there.

But anger stilled burned inside of him at the thought that Verona could be dying. He forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain as he extended both arms into the air and caused the wood railing on the stairway to literally rip from it's place and every piece was sent flying in Morgana and Morgause's direction.

Dust swirled in the air and made it difficult to see, Merlin coughed and strained his eyes to see through the dust filled air. Finally, when the dust cleared, he could see Morgana and Morgause both still on their feet but looking more angry than ever.

Arthur looked furious, and he charged towards Morgause, sword lifted high in the air prepared to attack. But Morgana caused the table on the other side of the room to fly towards him and knock him to the side before his sword could make contact with the witch.

Merlin was beginning to think that this was all completely hopeless, and that there was no way to stop them, and that the two of them would probably die here and now. And he would never know if Verona became well or not. But then an idea occurred to him. He remembered a spell he had read about months before. It was extremely difficult but it had caught Merlin's attention and he had been curious about if for months, though he'd never thought he'd need to use it.

"Arthur! I need you to keep them busy." He told Arthur in an undertone.

The prince nodded and stared gravely across the room at the two witches.

"And don't die!" Merlin warned.

"_Thank you_, Merlin. That helps!" Arthur's voice was filled with sarcasm, and he lifted his sword once more to prepare for an attack they both knew would be futile.

Merlin reached out and cast a spell that he hoped would keep Morgana and Morgause from killing Arthur too quickly while he prepared for the more powerful spell he was about to do.

He ran across the room and behind a wall in the corner so he would be out of the way of most of the fighting for a time. He knew that this spell could go disastrously wrong if he wasn't careful.

He sat down on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to block out the noises from the fighting nearby. He tried hard not to think of Verona and Gwen riding away, and everything else that was currently happening. And then he slowly murmured the words of the spell over and over again, though he couldn't feel a change. He put the names of Morgana and Morgause in the appropriate places in the spell and repeated it again and again, growing more anxious as time went on that it wasn't working.

Frustrated, he opened his eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying with difficulty to stay calm and keep his mind empty of everything except what he was doing. He knew if he got too anxious about the spell not working it would only end up worse. So he forced himself to remain calm and continued to murmur the enchantment quietly.

Slowly, the sounds of fighting nearby seemed to drown out, and he felt his mind becoming a little clearer. He was pleased with himself that he was clearing his mind and that now _surely _the spell _had_ to work because he was keeping his calm.

Then he realized that he was not blocking anything out anymore then he had been before. The noises were drowning because the fighting had slowed down, not because Merlin was ignoring them, and his mind was becoming clearer because his strength was returning to him and he no longer felt the pain that had been filling him before. He looked down at his hand where a cut had been a moment before, and found it slowly healing itself.

He closed his eyes again and continued saying the words quietly until the sounds of fighting nearby had ceased almost completely. He jumped to his feet and ran back towards where they had been fighting a moment before, to see Morgana and Morgause lying on the ground and Arthur standing and looking confused.

"They just fell over! My sword never even touched them! What did you do?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin suspiciously.

Merlin didn't answer, instead he went over and knelt besides the two women, and felt their pulses. "They're both still alive." He concluded, getting to his feet and looking at Arthur, "But I don't think either of them will be doing any magic for quite some time."

He couldn't help but feel the guilt settle in his heart at what he had done. He knew it had been the only choice, that both he and Arthur would have been killed had he not done what he did. He knew that Morgana and Morgause would live, even if it was without magic. But what he had done still made him feel like a monster. Because it seemed the kind of spell no one should be able to do to anyone. Besides, his guilt was made worse because he knew most of what he had done had been because he was angry about Verona. He knew it had been the only option, and he knew Morgana and Morgause had brought it upon themselves, but he still felt guilty.

So when Arthur asked again, "What did you do?" Merlin did not answer immediately.

After a hesitant moment he said, "I did a spell that I didn't think I was capable of doing, to be honest. It's supposed to be extremely difficult, and is an extremely rare accomplishment, and I did it." But there was no triumph in his voice, "I drained their powers. Their power was pulled from them and given to me instead. It's horrifying, really." He muttered, "Now let's go."

Arthur didn't say anything, and he followed Merlin out the door of the building. They didn't harm Morgause or Morgana before they left, neither of them wanted to kill in cold blood. So they just left the two sisters there.

Merlin told Arthur to take the remaining horse (Because Verona and Gwen had taken one of them) and said that he could walk, because he had all that extra strength.

"You can't make a horse appear out of nowhere?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I can't create life, sire." He said, sighing, not in the mood to joke.

Arthur didn't seem to want to talk, as they walked along. He seemed deep in thought, which suited Merlin just fine. He couldn't help but be worried about everything that had happened. Would Verona be alright? Would Arthur turn him in to Uther for having magic? Had he gone past the line with that spell? He hated the idea that he might have crossed some point where he had gone too far with his magic. He felt like he had passed some invisible line from being the good kind of sorcerer to the bad kind of sorcerer.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

What would Gaius think when he told him? Would he be disappointed? Would he be angry? He hoped that he had done the right thing. But nothing felt right about the situation. He had saved Arthur, hadn't he? That was his destiny, to save Arthur. And yet, he felt like the spell had been cast in his anger about Verona, rather than to protect his friends, or even to protect the future king.

He had been angry, and he had stolen their powers from them. It shouldn't have even been possible! The idea that he had done it, the idea that it could be done _at all _was horrifying. He was scared. If he could do it, than almost anyone probably could.

The whole thing felt like one huge mess.

"I'm torn, Merlin." Arthur said, breaking what had been quite a long silence. "Half of me says the right thing is to tell my father. But he would kill you, and you saved me, so that wouldn't quite be fair. The other half of me says I should just let you leave Camelot peacefully."

Merlin hadn't felt like it was possible to feel worse than he already did, but his heart seemed to drop into his stomach at the idea that he would have to leave Camelot. "Can I have time to pack up, check on Verona, and say goodbye to my friends?" He asked, his voice pleading.

Arthur glared down at him and rolled his eyes, "No." He said, as if it were obvious.

Merlin seemed to be feeling more ill by the second. "Oh."

"Because, I'm not going to do either thing. Who else will be my servant if you're killed or banished? I need _someone_ to polish my armor!"

"Really?" Merlin said, relief filling him and he grinned. He had doubted his friendship with Arthur slightly before, but now, even if the prince wouldn't admit it, he knew they really were friends. He knew he wasn't going to have to leave Camelot. It was a relief.

"But I'm angry that I didn't know about this for _three years_, Merlin, you idiot." Arthur muttered, but he seemed to be hiding a smile.

Merlin, who was still feeling upset about Verona and about using the spell he had used, was feeling defensive. "Do you know how many times I have saved your life? More times than you have called me an idiot. Yeah. _That_ many."

"And I might have thanked you a few more times if you had _told _me." Arthur countered.

"No, you wouldn't have." Merlin argued.

"No, I wouldn't have." Arthur laughed.

Merlin smiled slightly, but his other worries kept him from laughter.

000000

As soon as they arrived back in Camelot the next day, Arthur rushed off to find Gwen and then to deliver the sad news about Morgana to his father. Merlin headed straight to Gaius's chambers, praying that Verona was still alive.

He burst into the room and was met by his mother at the door. He had almost forgotten about his mother being in Camelot, and he hugged her. For a moment, he wished he could be a child again. Just then, he felt so full of guilt and so full of fear that he wished he could just get rid of it all and be a small child in his mother's arms again.

His face was pale white as he looked into the grave eyes of his mother and asked quietly, "How is Verona? Is she...?" The rest of the question didn't need asking. It was clear what he meant.

"She's alive." His mother told him, frowning, "But not for very long, I'm afraid, Merlin." Her eyes were sad as she delivered the news to her son.

His eyes filled with tears that he fought back. "No!" He rushed past his mother to where Gaius was sitting beside his daughter, holding tightly to her hand.

Verona was pale white and unconscious, and Gaius' eyes were red as if he had been crying.

Merlin sat down on her other side and took her other hand in his.

"It's my fault, Gaius." He said, quietly.

"It's not your fault, Merlin." Gaius sighed, looking down at his dying daughter.

"Yes it is! I didn't save her! I told them I wouldn't help them and now..." He broke off, staring at the still, almost lifeless Verona.

Gaius and Hunith looked at each other in confusion, since neither of them had yet been told the whole story, but instead of asking, Gaius said quietly, "I do not blame you, Merlin."

Merlin felt his mother's hand on his shoulder, but he did not feel comforted.

"No. I will _not_ accept this!" Merlin jumped to his feet and went for his spell book.

"Merlin, no spell is powerful enough-"

"Maybe it wasn't before. But I have a new advantage." Merlin said, his voice grave. He still was upset about how he had come about this new power. But if he could save Verona, he certainly would.

"Merlin, it could be dangerous. If someone comes in, or if something goes wrong..." Gaius warned, halfheartedly, he wanted Verona healed more than anyone. But Merlin was like a son to him too, and he didn't want to lose two children.

"Arthur and Gwen know about my magic as it is-"

"What?"

"I'll explain later. But Verona can't die." He said, determination in his voice.

Gaius and Hunith just nodded.

Merlin opened his spellbook and found the spell he was looking for. Taking a deep breath, he lifted a hand above Verona and began to firmly speak in a clear voice.

Slowly, healthy color returned to Verona's face, and Merlin knew the spell had been successful. He sighed in relief, glad she would be okay.

And then, without waiting for anyone to say anything, Merlin retreated into his own room to be alone.

00000

Arthur found Guinevere standing outside staring at the evening sky with a thoughtful expression on her face, but when she saw Arthur walking towards her, she ran to him. "Oh, Arthur! I've been thinking about it! And we've got to keep Merlin's secret! We know him, and he's good! He'd never harm anyone and, Arthur, he's our friend-"

"Guinevere!" Arthur interrupted, catching her hand in his and smiling gently at her, "I know."

She sighed in relief, but then a frown appeared on her face, "I do wish he had told us..." She said, thoughtfully.

Arthur nodded, "I know. But besides that, how do you feel?"

She hesitated, and then said, "I'm alright. But Verona is quite ill. And I was so frightened you wouldn't return and- Oh, sire, I can't..." She broke off, her eyes downcast.

"It's alright, Guinevere, it will be alright." He said, his eyes soft as he looked at her.

"Poor Verona may not be alright..." She said sadly, "Oh, Merlin must be terribly upset."

"Perhaps he can help her." Arthur said, trying to be optimistic.

"Oh, I hope so." She said, quietly.

"Are you hurt, Guinevere?" He asked, looking down at her and feeling relieved that she was still here in front of him.

"I am well, if you are well." She said, quietly, eyes falling to the ground.

"And I am well if you are well." He said, with a smile. He took both her hands in his, and brought them to his lips to kiss them gently.

"I have to go deliver horrible news to my father, my lady." He gave a exaggerated bow, and though he seemed to be trying to smile, Gwen could see the pain in his eyes.

She gave a small curtsy, "Sire,"

He turned to leave, but then stopped and looked at her again, "Guinevere." His voice was urgent.

"Yes, my lord?" She asked, looking up at him.

He seemed to be struggling for the right words. "After what happened... I want to be sure that you know...I care very much...I have feelings for you that..." He sighed, and then continued, "I love you."

Guinevere's eyes seemed to light up, and it cheered his heart considerably, "My heart is yours completely, sire, and it always will be." She said quietly.

Arthur gave her a very quick kiss, before turning to go and speak to his father, feeling a little braver than he had before.

00000

Merlin was laying on his bed staring at the wall. A frown was etched on his face, and his eyes were clouded with a sad look. His mother had come in a little while before and brought him something to eat, but he hadn't touched it even though he hadn't eaten all day.

An hour or so later, Gaius entered the room, pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. "Merlin, what's wrong?"

At first, Merlin wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it. But he was beginning to feel if someone didn't understand how he was feeling, he might explode. So he told Gaius the entire story, including the spell about taking Morgana and Morgause's powers.

"But...That is supposed to be nearly impossible! How did you do it?" Gaius asked, surprised.

Merlin shrugged, "It _should_ be impossible Gaius. It isn't right. I know Morgana and Morgause are evil but... I shouldn't be able to just _take _people's powers from them...What if I..." He hesitated, "What if I'm not using my magic for good anymore? What if all I do is selfish things. To save my friends."

"Think of this, Merlin." Gaius said, his voice calm and reassuring, "You use your powers to help your friends, yes, but I do not believe that is selfish. Morgana betrayed her friends with her magic, and thus she used her skills for bad. You used your magic to help your friends."

Despite Gaius's reassuring words, Merlin wasn't convinced.

"I have more power than anyone should, Gaius. I shouldn't have it. I'm just a kid, and besides, it's just wrong. It shouldn't be possible." Merlin confided his feelings to the old man who had been like a father to him all this time.

"Personally, I am glad you did. You've saved Verona."

Merlin smiled just a little, "Is she awake?"

"Not yet, I will tell you when she is." He got up from his chair, gave Merlin a pat on the shoulder, and turned to go.

"Gaius!" Merlin called suddenly, and the man turned to look at him.

Merlin hesitated and then decided to voice the decision he had made in his time sitting there alone. "I'm not using magic anymore."

Gaius's jaw dropped, literally. "What?" He seemed absolutely shocked.

"It's gone to far."

"But what about your destiny? You have to protect Arthur!" Gaius objected, his disapproval of Merlin's choice was evident.

"Then I'll have to find some other way to protect him."

"If you hadn't used magic Verona would be dead." Gaius reminded him, "and so would a lot of others in this castle! Me, as well, for one! And your mother! And everyone here. We'd all have died ten times over."

"And I'm happy you are all alive! But no one should have that power, Gaius! And I don't intend to use the magic I stole!" Merlin's voice was becoming louder, and Gaius knew there would be no sense in discussing the matter while Merlin was upset, so he left the room, and paused only to say,

"I will tell you when Verona awakes, I'm sure she will want to speak with you."

Merlin nodded, eager to see Verona, but still his heart felt full of guilt for everything that was happening.

He felt guilty for stealing others' magic, even if they were evil people. He felt guilty for possessing those powers, and using them for personal gain. He felt guilty for risking Verona's life in the first place. He felt guilty that he had literally stolen magic from someone, and he felt guilty at the idea of using it. He even felt guilty at the idea that someone might be hurt because he didn't feel like he _should_ use them.

He sighed. _All I ever do is make a big mess of things._ He thought, covering his face with his hands as if to block out the painful thoughts.

**Author's Note: Okay. I have a lot of explaining to do, I think. First of all, that little moment between Gwen and Arthur I added in there because it's Valentine's Day! But I felt like I utterly failed at writing that scene. It felt awkward and out of character and just not right. But I decided to leave it anyway. Also, I hope you don't feel like Merlin is too out of character. He's just overwhelmed by everything that had happened. It was all kind of a big deal! Also, I'm sorry that I'm completely horrible at writing fighting scenes! Anyway, please review and tell me what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. If I did, I wouldn't need to write fanfiction.**

Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long for me to update!

Chapter Thirteen, Bad News

Arthur pushed open the heavy doors leading to the throne room. The evening light pouring through the windows cast the room in a dark blue glow that seemed half-beautiful, and half-ominous. He could see his father's dark silhouette standing beside a window and staring out of it thoughtfully. He opened his mouth to speak, but had to swallow and take a deep breath before any sounds would come from his mouth.

"Father," Arthur greeted the king. He had a heart that was heavy with the news he was about to deliver.

Uther spun around instantly and took in his son standing there, he hurried forwards until he was standing directly in front of Arthur, "Where have you been?"

Arthur could see concern in his father's eyes, and felt a little guilty for not having told his father where he was going. But the king never would have allowed it.  
**  
**He tried to stand up straight with confidence, but inside he felt like shrinking away from explaining the whole situation to his father. Who knew what the king would do or say when he heard what Arthur had to tell him? The only reason the news hadn't already nearly killed Arthur was because in the moment, the situation had been so urgent that he had not had time to feel the whole sting of betrayal. His father had no such protection.

"You may want to sit down, sire." Arthur told his father, and then glanced over his shoulders at the guards pointedly.

"Leave us." The king commanded the guards, and they did as they were told with only slight hesitation.

Uther sat down on his throne and looked at Arthur, eyes serious, but there was relief in them too. "What is it?"

"Do you know where Morgana is, sire?" Arthur asked, uncomfortably. He felt as if he had been stabbed. Morgana had been like a sister to him, and she had betrayed him. She had betrayed them all. Morgana was a traitor to Camelot.

Torchlight flickered on the walls of the throne room and cast a glow almost as ominous as the fading light outside, but much less beautiful.

"She had some old friends she wished to visit." Uther said, shrugging. Then his eyes widened, "Is she alright? Is she hurt?"

"Father..." Arthur said, his voice losing some of its strength. "I left Camelot because someone had kidnapped Lady Guinevere,"

Uther looked surprised, and then angry at not having been told before, but he didn't say anything, which surprised Arthur.

"I found out that my servant's girlfriend, Verona, had been taken as well, so we both went to go find them." Arthur continued, "I know it was wrong of me not to ask you, father, but I was frightened for Guinevere, I could not have her death be my fault."

"We will discuss it later, continue with your story."

"When we arrived..." Arthur broke off, this was the part of the story he was dreading telling the most. "We discovered that Morgana and another woman...They had..." He sighed, took a deep breath, then continued, "They had kidnapped Lady Guinevere and Verona."

Uther stood up suddenly from his chair and pointed accusingly at his son, "Such jokes are not amusing, Arthur!"

"I am not joking, father!" Arthur shouted, to get his father's attention. "It is as horrible to me as it is to you. But Morgana means harm against Camelot. I believe... I believe that Morgana and the other woman, Morgause, are both witches."

Uther turned so that he was facing away from Arthur, and said quietly, "There must be some mistake."

"I'm sorry, sire, but there is no mistake." Arthur said, his voice sad.

"Out!" Uther's voice was loud and angry, and it cut through the room like daggers.

"Father-"

"Out!" He repeated, and Arthur took the hint, leaving the room and letting the doors slam shut behind him. The sound echoed through the corridor with a sort of finality about the sound that made it frightening.

He looked at the guards and said in a low voice, "You best give him time alone."

00000

Merlin stood in his room lighting candles to ward off the darkness that was coming with the evening. The light was fading outside his window, and he had no desire to sit alone in the dark. But the process of lighting all the candles was tiresome and frustrating. He'd always been used to being able to do it by magic when he was alone in his room. But he could not do that now, he was leaving magic behind. So he had to light each candle individually, no matter how tiresome.

"Merlin, sweetheart, Verona is awake. Is it alright if she comes to speak to you? She wanted to know." His mother's voice came from the doorway, and he turned to look at her.

"Of course!" He said eagerly, forgetting the displeasure he had felt with the world only a few minutes before.

His mother smiled, "Alright then, she'll be here in a moment." His mother left, closing the door softly behind her.

A moment later, the door opened again slowly and in walked Verona. She took small careful steps into the room, and she still looked very pale. The cuts on her face had disappeared due to Merlin's healing spell, but she looked far from well. Her face was white as paper, and there were dark lines beneath her eyes. Her red hair fell rather messily about her face, but Merlin still couldn't help but think she looked beautiful. The fact that she was alive was enough for him.

Merlin bounded across the room in a couple large steps and then stopped a few feet in front of her, holding out his arms to her to welcome a hug.

The uncertainty seemed to melt from Verona's eyes, and she flew into his arms. From the way she was shaking, however, Merlin knew that Verona was crying, and he stroked her hair softly. He couldn't think of anything comforting to say.

"You've saved me three times and all I've ever done is lie to you. How am I going to repay you, ever?" She asked, pulling away from him and wiping quickly at her eyes. But every time she did more tears appeared and after a moment she gave up and just let them fall.

"You don't have to repay me, Verona. You don't owe me anything."

She was silent for a while, as she seemed to look at everything in the room except for Merlin. Then her eyes fell to the ground and she said quietly, "You won't love me anymore."

"Why shouldn't I?" He demanded. True, he didn't know if they really were right for each other, after all that had happened. But he remembered that relief he felt when he knew she was going to live, and the fear he had felt when he wasn't so sure. And remembering those feelings made him pretty certain that he could love her. That he _did_ love her.

"No one ever does. Not when I act the way I really am, instead of who you want me to be."

"Then, I have a proposition to make." He said, with a calmness that surprised even himself.

"What?" Her voice was filled with doubt, but he thought he could trace a hint of hope in it too.

"You be who you really are, and we can start over. We can be friends, and get to know each other. Deal?" He thought that was the best way to handle the situation. The way he figured it, was that he would probably fall in love with her -The _real_ her- in no time, because he was convinced that he already did really love her. So, until then, they could just be friends and be sure to really know each other. It would all be better that way.

She looked a little uncertain, but then nodded and smiled, "So you forgive me?"

He gave a cheerful nod, "As far as I'm concerned, the whole thing never happened."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, "I don't deserve you." She said almost inaudibly.

He frowned and shook his head, he hated when she said things like that. She didn't think well enough of herself. "Don't say that. You're important. You need to learn to be happy with who you are."

"That's easy for you to say, your-" She paused for a moment when she saw him frown, but continued. "-Your sweet, and kind, and goodhearted and everyone adores you. And you have magic and can save lives. You're brave and-"

"Verona, don't." Merlin pleaded, he felt sad and a little sick. She was wrong. Because at that moment he just felt like a monster. He had stolen the natural gift of magic from two people that day. That was not what someone sweet and kind and goodhearted did.

"It's only the truth." She mumbled.

He shook his head, "I'm not going to use my magic anymore." He told her, trying to keep his voice firm so that she would not question his resolve.

She stared at him, her eyes wide, "What?"

"I'm giving up my magic. It's gotten to be too much, I'm hurting people and-"

"But, Merlin!" Verona gasped, looking upset, "You were just telling me I needed to be me and not someone else! You were just telling me to be happy with who I was!"

Merlin frowned, "That's different."

"I can't see how!" She said, her voice firm. Then she her eyes softened and fell to the ground, "I'm-I'm sorry. Yo-You would want me to be supportive."

At first Merlin was relieved, and then realized what she was doing and said quickly, "No! You need to say what you think to me. That was the deal, remember?"

She nodded, swallowed and took a deep breath. Then she spoke in a clear voice and said, firmly, "Then I think it's very bad of you." There was an honesty in her voice that Merlin barely recognized, because he had never heard it there before. But he could see the fear of his anger in her eyes, so he fought to keep calm.

"It's for the best, Verona."

"It's hypocritical, Merlin. Shouldn't I be allowed to lie to you all I want? I know it's wrong. But doing what you are doing, denying who you really are, it's exactly the same thing I did!"

Her words stung, especially because he knew for the first time he was hearing what she really thought. "I understand what you think, but I can't do it anymore!"

"I thought you were happy with who you were Merlin!" She sounded sad and disappointed and he hated to hear that from her, but at least she was being honest.

"I'm afraid of what I might become, Verona!" Merlin said, in frustration.

"You could never be bad, Merlin." She said quietly, her eyes wide and sad.

"I'm not so sure."

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter was so short, and rather lame. But it was one of those times when I needed to write a sort of 'in between' chapter, you know? Please review!**


End file.
